Execution Day
by hadouken5
Summary: After successfully bringing Sasuke back from the Valley of the End, Naruto is put on trial. With Tsunade and Jiraiya out of Konoha, the council calls for Naruto's immediate execution. Too bad Kami and Yami have other ideas in mind for our favorite blond
1. Betrayal

Disclamer: Don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1: Betrayal

A bloodied and half-conscious Naruto stumbled through the Konoha gates carrying an equally injured shinobi over his shoulder. It had been a painful battle to retrieve the last Uchiha, but in the end, Naruto managed to overpower Sasuke's chidori with his own rasengan. Yes, Uchiha Sasuke, emo-king, bastard of all bastards was back in town and ready to wreak havoc once again. That is if he wasn't unconscious at the moment, but such a trivial matter had never stopped the Uchiha bastard before, right? Didn't the great Uchiha Sasuke-sama defeat the hunter-nin in Wave country after falling into a coma? Didn't he manage to single-handedly defeat Gaara of the Sand, effectively stopping an entire invasion force? Yes, Uchiha Sasuke was one bad mofo, even when unconscious.

In any case, just minutes after their arrival, the rest of Team 7 made their way to the struggling duo. Sakura was the first to step up. She quickly took the would-be brooding bastard and ran off to the hospital, whispering, "Sasuke-kun." Kakashi turned to the blond and gave him an eye smile. "Go get yourself to the hospital, Naruto. I have to go check up on Sasuke now." With that, the lazy copy-nin shushined away, leaving Naruto alone in the middle of the street.

Naruto sighed, it was always like this. Make sure the Uchiha is safe and happy, and Naruto will be all right by himself. He slowly made his way to his apartment and collapsed onto his bed before slipping into a dreamless slumber, allowing the darkness to once again envelop his mind.

At the hospital, Sakura turned to Kakashi with tears streaming down her face.

"Will Sasuke-kun be alright?"

Kakashi sighed; he knew that Sasuke would be in deep trouble once he woke up. Leaving Konoha as a missing-nin to go over to Orochimaru was bad enough, but to attack a group of Konoha shinobi, and using an assassination jutsu on one was grounds for immediate execution.

"Physically, yes, but I'm more worried about the legal consequences Sasuke could face."

"What do you mean, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Sasuke took a rasengan to the chest, but the medical staff says that he should be back to normal in a week or so. However, he ran away to join Orochimaru, one of Konoha's greatest enemies. Pakkun also says that he used the attacked Naruto with a chidori before Naruto countered with his rasengan. According to standard shinobi protocol, Sasuke would be forcibly removed from active duty and serve as breeding stock for future generations of Sharingan wielders."

Sakura's eyes widened. She didn't go through all that suffering, waiting for her Sasuke-kun to come back, just to watch him be punished so severely.

"B-b-but Kakashi-sensei, is there anything we can do to save Sasuke-kun"

"Well there is one way, Sakura. Sasuke, You, I and Naruto will likely be called upon to testify during his trial. Sasuke has many supporters on the council, so we only need to bend the truth slightly in Sasuke's favor to ensure his continuation on our team. Hopefully Naruto won't mind."

"He won't, since when has that baka ever been serious? So let me get this straight, we tell them everything we know and leave out parts that make Sasuke look bad like the chidori and the curse seal?"

Kakashi eye-smiled, things just might work out after all.

"Right, Sakura. Soon things will be back to normal."

Meanwhile, Tsunade, Shizune and Jiraiya were leaving Whirlpool country with identical smirks on their faces. Surprisingly enough, this wasn't because Jiraiya managed to scheme his way into either of the kunoichi's pants. The reason for their mutual satisfaction was the birth certificate that Tsunade had finally secured and was currently holding in her pouch. The trio had left Konoha to investigate Naruto's ancestry, and was not at all surprised at the results. In fact, Tsunade felt rather stupid that she hadn't noticed it before.

"Makes you feel rather stupid, doesn't it, Tsunade-hime?"

"Yeah, but it explains a lot, really. I can't wait to see the old farts' faces when they see this." Tsunade gleefully imagined the looks of shock on Koharu and Homura's faces. Maybe they'll die of a heart attack. Tsunade giggled, causing Jiraiya to look over in concern.

"You okay, Tsuna-"

He was cut off by the chakra-laced punch colliding with his skull.

"Come on, you pervert, let's hurry up and get back home."

With that, the two Sannin and one assistant set out to return to Konoha, blissfully unaware of the disaster that lay ahead.

The next day, Naruto was waiting at Team 7's normal training ground waiting for his teammates to show up. Patience and tranquility were not traits that were generally associated with Naruto, so after sitting around for a few minutes, he decided to get started himself. After a few light stretches and warm-ups, Naruto crossed his hands into the familiar hand seal and shouted out **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**. Twenty clones surrounded the Jinchuuriki and leapt as one towards the original. _'Showtime'_ he thought, pulling out several shuriken.

Throwing the shuriken, he was pleased to see that most of them hit their mark, effectively dispelling the clones. An intrepid clone leapt forward only to be kicked in the face. The remaining clones started to cautiously circle their creator. The original Naruto charged forward, 

fists flailing and managed to catch the clone in the ribs. The remaining clones ran straight at Naruto, who started to charge up a Rasengan. The clone army and the swirling maelstrom met, causing the remaining clones to poof out of existence.

'_Heh, looks like I'm still the best Naruto after all, gonna be Hokage-dattebayo. Hmm, when will Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan come? Maybe I'll ask Sakura-chan if she wants to go eat ramen. Mmm ramen. _

_Oh boy oh boy miso ramen, pork ramen, and some shrimp ramen, I can't wait. Hey! I have a coupon for a free bowl at Ichiraku's. Ramen, ramen, ramen, ramen, ramen… what the…?'_

Naruto was roused from his musings by the appearance of several ANBU who quickly flanked the jinchuuriki with drawn weapons.

"Uzumaki-san, your presence is requested at the council immediately. You will come at once."

Naruto shrugged, maybe Tsunade was resigning and he was named immediate successor. Wait a second, Tsunade was out doing some secret Hokage stuff, so what the hell did they want? Naruto allowed himself to be shushined out of the training grounds and into the Hokage tower. _'I so have to learn that. Then teme wouldn't stand a chance against me-ttebayo!'_

Walking down the hallway, Naruto tried to strike up a conversation with the ANBU, asking them about their missions, weapons and training, but they all stayed silent. Finally, they reached a large wooden double door, which Naruto knew led to the council's chambers. He was surprised when the door opened, revealing Sakura and Kakashi with smiles on their faces. _'Hey, maybe we're all getting promotions from bringing back Sasuke-teme. One step closer to Hokage and all the ramen I can eat.'_

"Hey there, Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Ah, Naruto, sorry about being late, but we were summoned to the council earlier."

"That's alright-ttebayo, Kakashi-sensei; they called me in as well. Ne, Sakura-chan, how about we go get some ramen later today?"

Subduing her immediate rejection reflex, Sakura thought for a second. _'It couldn't hurt, and I guess I ought to do him a favor for helping save Sasuke-kun.'_

Sakura smiled and nodded.

"That's alright, Sakura-chan, I'll just- EHH?"

The pink-haired kunoichi winked at Naruto and walked out with Kakashi. Before Naruto could turn around to make sure his ears weren't playing pranks on him, he was roughly pushed inside the council room. Naruto was about to yell at the rude ANBU, but bit back his retort and silently gulped as the door slammed shut. Dense as he was, he somehow knew that he wasn't getting that 

promotion today. The grins the council members were sporting weren't the same grins that Teuchi and Ayame wore when giving him an Uzumaki special 'on the house.' These were smiles that brought to mind visions of Orochimaru getting ready to play with little kids.

Over at Ichiraku's ramen stand, Teuchi and Ayame sneezed, which caused Ayame to unwittingly knock a dish of Suna death peppers into a bowl of Ramen. The buxom waitress then placed the hazardous bowl in front of an unsuspecting Rock Lee.

Elsewhere, Orochimaru was giddy with excitement. He was furious when he found out that the Uchiha had been recaptured by a genin squad that had managed to kill his elite Sound Four and Kimimaro. The reason for the Snake Sannin's happy demeanor was the Playboy scroll in his hands. Indeed, lured by the promise of underage boys at play, Orochimaru was conned into purchasing common softcore smut. Stifling the strange urge to sneeze, he gingerly opened the scroll, only to scream in fury when the busty blonde bombshell was revealed.

Back in the council chambers, Naruto had finished describing his battle with Sasuke and the events leading up to the confrontation, as well as snippets of their past interactions.

"… so then I picked up Sasuke-teme and brought him back to Konoha, and then Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei to the hospital."

The council members looked at one another without speaking. An imperceptible nod passed among the members before Danzo, leader of the mysterious ROOT, spoke up.

"Boy, do you swear that you have told us the whole truth? Know that lying to the council is a serious offence."

"Of course I do, dattebayo!"

Homura smirked and snapped his fingers, instantly summoning two ANBU. The first slapped a demon suppression seal on his forehead while the other clasped his hands and feet together with chakra-binding handcuffs, causing Naruto's eyes to widen.

"What the… what's going on?"

Hyuuga Hiashi stood up.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you are charged with reckless endangerment of your team, attempted murder of a Konoha nin with an assassination jutsu multiple times, attempted release of a demon, and perjury during your testimony regarding your crimes."

Through his constricted throat, Naruto could only ask, "Huh?"

Danzo cleared his throat, holding up two scrolls.

"I have here the recorded testimonies of Haruno Sakura and Hatake Kakashi, both of which concur with each other and to an extent match with yours. However, there are a couple of critical points where the details don't match"

He unsealed the first scroll and pumped some chakra into a seal, causing an image of Kakashi to float above the scroll. The masked-nin was speaking.

"_Honorable Elders, although I was not part of the retrieval team, I had my summon Pakkun travel with them to assist the search. Before I came here, I asked him to give me the details of Naruto's battle with Sasuke._

"_The two were evenly matched throughout most of the fight. Fortunately, neither of them was using lethal force, they were trying to knock the other out. Right when the fight was about to come to a close, Naruto started to use Kyuubi's power, which gave him the advantage momentarily. From the account given to me, it appears that he was being possessed by the demon in order to defeat Sasuke. Before Naruto could deal the finishing blow, the curse seal started to activate._

"_From what Pakkun has said, it appears as if the presence of Kyuubi's youkai was strong enough to draw out the evil influence of the curse seal, which Sasuke had been fighting for the past few months. By then, both sides were ready to collapse from exhaustion. Naruto created a rasengan and Sasuke countered with the chidori._

"_However, before the attacks met, Sasuke was able to partially regain his senses. He powered down the chidori, but was struck by the rasengan in the chest. We were lucky enough to retrieve the last Uchiha and get him to the hospital, where he is expected to make a full recovery. We estimate that he should be ready to return to active duty in a couple of weeks…"_

The image slowly faded, leaving a stunned Naruto. Why the hell did Kakashi lie about the fight? The way he described it almost made Naruto seem like the bad guy…

Before Naruto could speak up or object, Danzo had unsealed the second scroll, and an image of Sakura was projected.

"_Sasuke-kun has always looked out for the good of the team. It was thanks to him that we became genin in the first place. He was the one who impressed Kakashi sensei enough to not fail us right away, and then he figured out the true meaning behind the exam when he gave Naruto-baka some of his food._

"_Then, on our first C-ranked mission, Sasuke-kun saved us multiple times, even when Naruto and I were too frightened to move. In our first fight, he managed to save the both of us before Kakashi finished things up, and then later, when Zabuza trapped Kakashi, Sasuke-kun managed to save him by getting Zabuza to release Kakashi._

"_Even after he got that horrible curse seal, he was still thinking about Team 7. He saved Naruto and me from that Gaara, even after Gaara knocked me unconscious. Then, when Naruto _

_challenged Sasuke-kun to a fight in the hospital, Sasuke-kun only accepted to try to help the baka to blow off some steam. Thank goodness Kakashi-sensei managed to stop Naruto before he could use his rasengan…"_

Naruto didn't bother to listen anymore and instead closed his eyes. The pain of betrayal was too much for the jinchuuriki. A familiar voice growled in the back of his mind.

'**Kill them, rip them to shreds'**

'**Let me take control. That seal and those puny mortals mean nothing to us if you let me take over'**

'**I will grant you the power to take your revenge. You will be a god among ants'**

'_I will never give in to your false promises and evil intent. I intend to honor the sacrifice of the Yondaime Hokage to the end of my life. If I can cast you back into hell with me, then even better.'_

'**You foolish mortal, we could rule the world, and yet you shun my power for a village that has turned its back on you from the moment you were born. I know of the hatred you harbor. You just need to let it go, and I would lead you from there.'**

'_I am not afraid of you, Kyuubi.'_

With a hardened resolve, Naruto once again faced the smirking council members. Apparently, the recording of the pink-haired kunoichi had finished playing.

"We also have a written testimony from Uchiha Sasuke confirming these statements. We will now pass our judgment."

"Uzumaki Naruto, we find you guilty of all aforementioned crimes. You will be placed in a maximum security prison until we decide on your punishment. For your sake, do not make any attempt to escape."

With that, Naruto was whisked off to prison.

Once Naruto was gone, Danzo turned back to the other council members.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the opportunity of a lifetime has been laid before us. The Hokage has left town, making Homura and Koharu the final decision makers regarding shinobi matters. Normally, a situation like this would warrant a harsh reprimand as well as a two month suspension from missions. However, in the case of an extreme violation of the shinobi conduct, as determined by a unanimous vote by the council members, the punishment can be immediate execution, public or private. I trust that all of you on the council are in support of the motion to immediately execute the demon?"

Looking over the nodding heads and shouts of assent, some more enthusiastic than others, Danzo couldn't help but smile.

'_If I can't have the demon as my tool, then I must exterminate him.'_

"I assume you all wish to make this a public spectacle. We must hurry if things are to run smoothly."

A few days later, over at Team 7's training ground, Sakura was fiddling with a scroll that the council members had given her earlier that day.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, is Naruto be alright?"

Kakashi smiled. "Of course, Sakura, since when have we ever had to worry about our blond baka? He's probably taking a break for a while. Maa, looks like I'll have to scold him for that when he shows up. Now why don't you open that scroll and see what's inside."

Sakura opened the scroll and pored over the contents. Her eyes grew wide and she squealed.

"I'm being promoted to chuunin!" 'One step closer to winning Sasuke-kun's heart'

Kakashi ruffled Sakura's hair, with his eye curving into a 'u'.

"Congratulations, Sakura, you're the first one on the team to be promoted, although you can be sure that Sasuke and Naruto are sure to catch up quickly. There should be a storage seal with your chuunin vest inside, take a look."

Sakura complied, and with a poof of smoke, her very own chuunin vest fell into her waiting hands. While she stood, admiring her new vest, a messenger bird flew overhead, summoning all available shinobi and civilians to the village's main plaza. Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, breaking her off from her fantasies, and shushined the two of them back into the hidden village to pick up Sasuke and answer the summons.

Tenten was not a happy kunoichi at the moment. Her teammate Neji had been hospitalized with a stab wound through the hand, which was especially bad since Neji's Jyuuken relied on his hands. That meant that she had been stuck with the twin Green Beasts of Konoha alone. They were currently catching a light lunch at a nondescript ramen stand when suddenly, Lee's face turned dark red and smoke started to leak out of his ears. Tenten started to back away, not knowing exactly what was wrong, but wanting nothing to do with her youthful teammate.

"YOSH! THIS RAMEN HAS STOKED MY FLAMES OF YOUTH LIKE NO OTHER! AYAME-CHAN, YOUR YOUTHFULNESS HAS INSPIRED ME TO NEW HEIGHTS! IF I DO NOT MATCH THIS YOUTHFULNESS TODAY, I WILL RUN AROUND KONOHA 500 TIMES BACKWARDS, AND IF I FAIL THAT, I WILL CLIMB UP THE HOKAGE MONUMENT WITH ONLY MY THUMBS."

"LEE! YOUR UNDIMINISHED FLAMES OF YOUTH SHINE BRIGHTER THAN EVER BEFORE!"

"GAI-SENSEI"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI"

The two met in an incredibly manly man-hug while Tenten and Neji looked away in disgust. Since when was Suna Death Pepper Ramen an actual menu item? It was then that Neji spotted the messenger bird flying overhead.

Team 8 and Team 10 were gathered together at the barbeque restaurant eating lunch. Actually, Chouji was the only one eating while the rest tried to pick out uneaten pieces of meat from the grill. Ino and Kiba were yelling at Chouji for eating all the meat while Hinata tried to calm the two. Shikamaru was sleeping and Shino was calmly observing the group. It was good to be back and walking around. Shino wondered if Naruto would show up, as none of the rest of the retrieval team had seen him since the mission.

"Time to go, it looks like we've been summoned."

Asuma's gruff voice stopped the commotion. Why were they calling for a village-wide gathering? They had already announced Sasuke's return the day after the retrieval team made it back, and the Hokage was apparently still safe, according to the shinobi grapevine. The two teams decided to head towards the Konoha plaza, following the growing throng of people, civilians and shinobi alike.

Danzo looked over the large gathering before him. The citizens of Konoha were all together to witness the elimination of one of Konoha's greatest enemies. Surely a new era of prosperity was about to shine on Konoha, a rebirth out of the ashes since the passing of the late Yondaime. He raised his arms benevolently and began to speak.

"Friends, I stand before you as the bearer of great news. This past week has been a blessing to Konoha. Our beloved Sasuke Uchiha has been returned to us, our relationships with our allies are stronger than ever before, and our enemies are weaker than before."

There was a loud cheer from everybody as they reveled in the power of Konoha, the unity, brotherhood and compassion that defined their existence. Uchiha Sasuke, standing with Kakashi and Sakura, smirked and waved at the crowd.

"It is thanks to the hard work, dedication and sacrifice each of you have made for your village that has made this possible. The will of fire is strong within you all."

The cheers and applause rose to new levels as the people in the crowd turned to one another and congratulated one another, smiling. Indeed, they were all proud to be a part of Konoha.

Kiba grabbed Shino in a headlock, much to the indignation of the bug user.

"You hear that, bug-boy? We're fucking awesome!"

"Inuzaka Kiba, I share your enthusiasm, but you will kindly remove your body off my person before by insects drain you of every drop of chakra running through your coils."

Kurenai simply shook her head, except for the fact that they weren't both excellent trackers, the two were complete opposites and a general headache to be around. Enough was enough.

She hit the two upside the head to silence her bickering team. Danzo looked like he was about to start speaking again. Kiba turned his attention back to the stage, and Shino pushed his glasses further up his face.

"There are two shinobi amongst who have recently exemplified this spirit to its fullest, and although the details are classified, I wish for them to receive the recognition they deserve. Hatake Kakashi and Haruno Sakura!"

Thousands of heads whirled as one to focus on the surprised, but smiling jounin and the slightly bashful new chuunin. The pair raised their hand to acknowledge the crowd. Sakura waited for the inevitable insult to her forehead from her long-time rival, but all she heard was applause. How strange.

Fifty feet away, a blonde kunoichi was seething. How dare Sakura surpass her once more! She didn't even go on the retrieval mission to recover Sasuke-kun. If this kept up, Sakura would continue to advance and maybe even become Tsunade's apprentice. Before she could shout out in protest, Shikamaru's shadow froze her in place and Chouji clamped a large hand over her mouth, effectively muzzling the loud kunoichi.

"Man, so troublesome."

"Yeah, but what about Naruto?"

"MMMPHHH!"

On the inside, Danzo was laughing. Things were going so easily, why hadn't he done this before? Soon, his position as Konoha's savior would be secured by finishing the job the Yondaime started sixteen years ago.

"Thanks in part to the efforts of these two brave shinobi, we have finally been able to subdue one of our greatest enemies, a menace that has prowled through Konoha these past sixteen years. Too long, we have let this danger walk through our streets, threatening our women, elderly and children. But no more. From now on, my friends, we can walk down our peaceful streets without fear of being killed in cold blood. We can put our children to sleep knowing that they are safe from the evil influences of Konoha's greatest villains. Sixteen years. Sixteen years we have lived in fear of its terrible wrath, but I stand here today, Konoha to tell you that we may cast away these shadows of fear and instead step into the light, for today is the day that we slay the demon once and for all!"

Most of the older citizens erupted into the loudest cheers yet while the younger generation looked around, slightly confused but still applauding. Danzo's face, projected onto the large screen behind him for the benefit of those too far to see clearly, shone with righteous self-conviction.

In a poof of smoke, four ANBU appeared and started to perform a set of identical hand seals. Then, with a second poof, a large, hooded shinobi appeared with a mace in one hand and his masked prisoner's shoulder in the other. The four ANBU finished their hand seals at the same time and simultaneously called out **Shishienjin no Jutsu**. A shimmering, yet semi-transparent purple barrier of flame rose up, separating the crowd from the stage. For the four ANBU maintaining the jutsu, it was rather ironic that the very jutsu that prevented the rescue of the Sandaime during the Sound/Sand invasion was being used as to power Danzo's ideal of a new Konoha.

The executioner smirked. He lived for moments like this. The Sandaime rarely approved of public executions, and the Godaime had outright refused to allow such a practice. As the head executioner of Konoha, he had the privilege of watching countless criminals die by his hands in numerous manners. The moment when the Shinigami claimed his victim's soul, the fleeting terror that flew over the visage of all of the captives gave him an indescribable pleasure. Today, he was going to share this delight with all of Konoha. It was time, he noted, as Danzo gave the signal. He pulled out his knife and got prepared, removing his captive's mask and with a quick slash of his knife, his shirt.

Naruto felt the mask slip off his face, but kept his eyes screwed shut. Then he felt his shirt slide down to the ground as cool metal snaked its way up his body, ending at his throat. On the outside, he stayed silent without moving a muscle, but inside his mind, he was waging a fierce battle with the great fox demon.

'**BRAT, THEY'RE GOING TO KILL US! WE STILL HAVE TIME, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE OFF THAT SEAL'**

'_I will not. I must protect those precious to me, even at the cost of my life.'_

'_**THEY DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU, YOUR WHOLE TEAM ABANDONED YOU! THE UCHIHA SENT A CHIDORI THROUGH YOUR CHEST! THE OTHER TWO BASTARDS STABBED YOU IN THE BACK JUST TO SAVE HIS SORRY ASS!'**_

'_Say what you will, but I will not yield. You refused to heal me while I was being tortured in hopes that I would give in to your plans, but I did not. You're scared, Kyuubi, scared that a mere mortal, a child is capable of killing you._

'_**DON'T YOU GET IT, BRAT? AS PARTNERS, NOTHING WOULD STAND IN OUR WAY. YOU COULD DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, DESTROY THE WORLD, SAVE THE WORLD. HELL, YOU COULD CREATE YOUR OWN WORLD. FUCKING THINK ABOUT IT! DON'T DO ANYTHING FOOLISH!'**_

'_I have and I refuse to listen to you anymore. Farewell for now, Kyuubi. I'll see you in hell soon.'_

'_**AAAAARGH'**_

Resigned to his fate, Naruto raised his head to face for the last time the village that he had fought and bleed for.

Kakashi's lone uncovered eye widened in horror. _'This can't be happening… it wasn't supposed to turn out this way_.' Next to him, a pale-faced Sakura was trying to understand the situation.

"K-kakashi-sensei, why is Naruto up there? Why are they going to kill him? What did he do?"

The copy-nin was stunned and couldn't answer. Dimly, the shinobi part of his mind registered the fact that Naruto was at the complete mercy of Danzo and the ANBU locked within the barrier. There was no way to save the blond jinchuuriki even if his muscles would obey. He could only hang his head in shame. Then, Naruto lifted his head and Kakashi reluctantly mirrored the action and looked his student in the eyes. Or he would have, if they were still there.

Knowing of Kyuubi's incredible healing powers, Danzo gave his ROOT free rein to inflict whatever torture they wished. The more sadistic shinobi were more than happy to oblige. By the time they were done, even the cruelest ROOT member held a grudging respect for the jinchuuriki. The boy, correction, young man had withstood every punishment ROOT had given without complaint. Even when they carved out his eyes, one by one, the only sign that he had felt any pain was the slight twitch in his neck. When they branded him in the forehead, Naruto acted as if he didn't notice.

'_My God, what did they do to you, Naruto?'_

As a battle-hardened kunoichi, there was little that Kurenai hadn't seen already. Watching shinobi kill each other was normal, and with the brutality of battle came shattered limbs, internal organs spilling out of bodies and the pervasive stench of death. The sight before her, magnified by the screen set up behind the stage, horrified and sickened her.

She fought the urge to throw up as she tried to tear her eyes away from the grizzly spectacle. Subconsciously, her medical training kicked in as she looked over his injuries. It looked as if both eyes had been dug out by a kunai. There was a large burn that started along his right cheek and trailed all the way down his body. His left arm looked as if it had been broken multiple times. She counted three, maybe four broken ribs. There was a stab wound in his stomach that had left a visible scar, which was almost as large as the fist-sized scar over his sternum. Finally, branded across his forehead were the words, "DEMON OF KONOHA."

Kurenai once again warded off the wave of nausea that had risen in her throat as she ended her brief medical diagnosis. Nearby, Ino was not as lucky as she emptied her lunch all over the ground. Kiba was about to launch into action to break through the barrier, but was stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Shikamaru shaking his head.

"SHIKAMARU! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? WE CAN'T JUST LET HIM DIE LIKE THIS!"

"Kiba, calm down. An assault on the barrier is suicide itself. Even if we manage the impossible and disrupt the jutsu, our actions would qualify as treason and we would be declared missing-nin to be killed on sight. Is that what Naruto wants?"

"Shikamaru is right," confirmed Asuma while Shino nodded his assent.

"A-a-ano, Na-naruto-kun…"

The group turned towards the Hyuuga Heiress, wondering what she would say.

"He's smiling, but it's a sad smile, his real smile…"

And with that final thought, the execution of Uzumaki Naruto began to rousing cheers.

The executioner hit Naruto in the stomach with the mace, which sent him tumbling to the ground. A muffled scream pierced through the cheers of the crowd. Using his foot, he then flipped the blond over onto his back, face up. A swift swipe of his knife opened up a slit in his throat. _'Now, it's time to see how you die.'_ He lifted his foot and stomped down on the boy's chest; the increased pressure sent jets of blood spurting out of his throat. The executioner continued to pump on the boy's chest with his foot to the increased cheers and shouts of the crowd. _'Show me your face, the terror that grips man and demon alike in their last moments.'_

Tsunade rushed through the gates, anxiously clutching her necklace. What was this feeling of dread that was overtaking her senses? The village looked normal enough, so it didn't look like there had been an attack by a hostile village, but the deserted streets were somewhat unnerving. Where were all of the villagers? Fingering her necklace, her mind wandered to her last meeting with Naruto before she left on her trip.

_Flashback_

"_Nani? Baachan, you're going on a mission? Ne, ne can I come with you?"_

_Tsunade resisted the tempting urge to punch Naruto through the wall and instead smirked._

"_Sorry brat, but this is a super-important Hokage-level mission that only Jiraiya and I can do, although Shizune is probably going to tag around."_

"_That's why I'm going to come along; I've got to get the experience if I'm going to become the next Hokage-dattebayo! Plus, you haven't been on a real mission in decades, so I should go with you to make sure you're safe."_

"_You think I'm weak, brat?" Tsunade brandished a glowing fist, causing Naruto to back up a few steps in caution. Insinuating that the Hokage was weak was almost as deadly as calling her old._

"_No, it's just that you're one of my precious people, and I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you while you were gone."_

_Tsunade softened. She knew she was close to Naruto, but to hear his say it warmed her heart. She got up from her desk, walked over to Naruto and gave him a big hug, unwittingly sticking his face between her large breasts._

"_Mmmrph"_

_She blushed and released the hug when she noticed the struggling Naruto. Naruto pouted for a while, but then suddenly brightened._

"_Hey, Baachan, close your eyes for a second."_

"_Huh?" Tsunade warily complied._

_She heard a light click and felt a light weight hanging from her neck. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing her grandfather's necklace._

"_Naruto…"_

"_This way, you'll be safe, ne? It's worked for me, so it will work for you, Tsunade-chan"_

_Narut stood up on his tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead before leaping out the window into the streets. Tsunade stood there, dumbstruck with a slight blush creeping onto her face._

_End flashback_

Tsunade could hear a loud roar in the distance, in the direction of the village plaza. Something big was happening, and she didn't like it one bit. She gave a signal to Jiraiya and Shizune and they rushed forward with greater haste.

'_Something is definitely wrong here'_

For Naruto, everything was quiet for once. The incessant whispering for blood and gore was silenced, as the demon fox had likely retreated to some dark recess to contemplate its final moments of existence. Indeed, his mind was clearer than ever before. Was he alive? Was he dead? Pretty soon it would be all over. He barely registered the blow to the stomach and simply allowed gravity to pull him to the ground, reveling in the absence of the demonic presence that had plagued his entire life.

'_It's so peaceful. Is this what it's like to be normal? It's nice.'_

He continued to smile, enjoying his final moments of peace and allowed the light of death to chase away the darkness of his life.

Outside the containment barrier, smiles and nods of approval could be seen on many of the onlookers' faces, but interspersed through the crowd were various ashen faces. The sheer brutality of his incarceration and subsequent execution was something only seen within the deepest bowels of the Interrogation and Torture Department. The mere thought that something to this degree could be carried out in public and on a fellow leaf-nin was shocking.

It was sickening how the shinobi could monitor Naruto's passing life by the amount of blood that spurted out of his throat after each stomp. After what seemed like an eternity, the jet of blood started to die down, and with that, the life of the blond jinchuuriki came to an end. The executioner lifted the blond by the back of his neck and presented the still body to the crowd.

This was it, the culmination of Konoha's redemption. The shouts of joy from the audience continued to rise in volume, only to be shattered by the heart-rending cry.

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOO!"

It was the desperate plea of a lover finding her true love dead, or that of a mother nearing her deceased child. There was a bone-chilling silence as the crowd watched Tsunade rush forward to the execution platform, closely followed by Jiraiya and Shizune.

A chakra-enhanced punch sent the executioner into a wall, and a follow up rasengan sent him through the wall. Shizune, seeing that the executioner had been disposed of, launched a series of paralyzing senbon at Danzo, who quickly crumpled onto the floor.

Tsunade cradled the boy's head in her lap. Today was supposed to be the day Naruto would finally gain the recognition and love he rightfully deserved, but instead, it marked the end of his dismal life as the container of the Kyuubi. She looked at his face, blankly staring at the two holes where his eyes had once been. Those sapphire eyes that had always shone brilliantly whenever 

Naruto talked about defending Konoha and protecting his precious people were gone, plucked away by the ignorant bastards overseeing Konoha.

She raised her head and looked over the village with disgust before shushining away with Naruto in her arms.


	2. Return

Chapter 2: Return

The next day, Tsunade stood atop the Hokage tower, underneath the Hokage monument, next to an open casket containing Naruto. Naruto's hitai-ate was recovered from the ANBU ROOT at Tsunade's order and ceremoniously displayed in front of the casket. The previous night had been a complete riot. Naruto's apartment was burned down to the cheers of the mob. Tsunade had to summon the entire ANBU squad to shut down the revelries and celebrations in the streets. The civilian prisons were completely filled, and it wasn't until 3 in the morning that the streets had died down. She inwardly smirked in spite of the somber situation. If they thought that were going to go celebrating the finishing of the Yondaime's final job, boy did she have a surprise for them. She surveyed the crowd gathered before her, and began the eulogy of Namikaze Naruto.

Everything was white.

Naruto was floating through space, when all of a sudden, a sharp burst of pain seared through his stomach. He watched as the red chakra he associated with the Kyuubi seeped out of the seal before rocketing away and out of sight. He put his hands in the ram seal and channeled some chakra. The seal on his stomach started to break into pieces and fade away.

"So we meet at last, Naruto, although far sooner than I had hoped."

Naruto spun around and came face to face with a young, beautiful woman close to his age.

"Huh? Who are you? Actually, where the hell am I?"

He blushed as he looked the stranger up and down.

She giggled as Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"I… do not have a name. However, I am the one you may know as Kami."

Naruto fell to his knees and lowered his gaze.

"Kami-sama… I don't understand. Why have you come to visit one as lowly as I before I am cast to hell?"

Kami sighed. Why were they always like this, so damn… angsty? If anyone, Naruto would be the one to break that trend, but here he was, on his knees. Kami reached down with one hand and lifted Naruto's face.

"Naruto, look at me. Don't give me any of that 'I'm not worthy' crap either. For the sixteen years of your life, you've carried yourself proudly, never doubting your strength."

"Kami-sama, a tainted soul such as I does not deserve your presence. The bastard fox made sure of that."

Kami giggled, and the trilling laughter sent a shiver down Naruto's spine.

"Naruto, you have the cleanest soul of all mortals, left untouched by the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Surely you felt its presence leave your body a while ago? That is a sign that, unconstrained by your seals, the Kyuubi cannot reside within you. As opposing forces, you are just as toxic to it as it has been to you. Throughout the ages, I have seen many good men, but only a few have showed the same purity of heart that comes so natural to you."

Finally, Naruto's mind slid into gear.

"Uhh, Kami-sama? You said 'throughout the ages', but you look only a few years older than me. And why are you a girl?"

Kami's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Is there something wrong with women being strong, brat?"

Naruto raised his hands in what he hoped to be a placating manner.

"Of course not, you're wise, powerful and beautiful, Kami…" Kami started to blush, "BAASAMA!" A monstrous tick appeared over her forehead.

"WHAT. WAS. THAT?"

"Well, you're obviously really old, but you deserve respect, so it's Kami-baasama." Naruto punctuated the statement with a forceful glomp.

Kami sighed; the real Naruto was back, although it looked like this was going to be all the respect that she would get. She decided to play around with the blond shinobi. Striking a seductive pose, she asked in a sultry voice:

"Am I not attractive to you, Naru-kun?"

Naruto turned a shade of red normally reserved for overripe tomatoes and Hinata and choked before regaining his composure.

"Oh? But are you young enough to keep up with someone like me?"

"Kid, you're a thousand years too early for someone like me."

"Old hag"

"Brat"

The two continued glaring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before collapsing into a fit of laughter.

Finally, Kami stopped laughing and wiped a tear from her delicate features.

"Naruto-kun, back to what I was saying before. When Kyuubi left your body, it hid itself in an alternate dimension to recuperate. With each passing second, the demon is regaining his strength."

"That's right, and it's your task to defeat this beast."

Naruto whirled around as a new presence appeared in the form of a sultry, scantily-clad woman. As Naruto fought off a blush, the new apparition took the opportunity to introduce herself by draping her body all over the bashful blond.

"Ah, Naruto-kun, we finally meet. I am Yami, the beautiful and dangerous Lord of Hell."

"GAHHHH!"

Naruto stumbled back, stifling a nosebleed.

Yami giggled, trailing a finger along Naruto's cheek.

"Ne, onee-chan, Naruto-kun is rather shy, isn't he?"

The two immortals laughed at Naruto's expense, causing the blond to blush a further shade of red.

Wiping away a tear, Kami settled back into her more serious demeanor, an action duplicated by her devilish counterpart.

"Naruto-kun, Yami and I wish that you go back to the realm of humans-"

Yami cut in "AND BURN KONOHA TO THE GROUND, KUKUKUKUKUKUKUKU-urgh"

Kami elbowed her sister in the gut, "-in order to serve as our champions and completely obliterate the fox."

Yami nodded while Naruto stared at the two.

"Uhh, first of all, I'm dead, and secondly, why can't you two do it?"

Yami smirked, "You see, Naruto-kun, while Kami-neechan and I have control over our respective realms," at this, Kami emphasized the point by snapping her fingers, which caused Naruto's clothes to disappear, leaving him in ramen-print boxers while Yami leered. She continued, "Neechan and I are not allowed to interfere with the mortal realm. That's why we can send you back to your body if you want."

Kami put on a pensive face. "However, you might want to hurry, since without the preservation jutsu that your precious Tsunade-chan is using, your body would have been unusable. Also, it looks like she's going to either burn your body or bury you during your funeral, so you might want to hurry it up. But before that, there are a couple of people who want to see you."

"Yo, brat!"

SLAP

"Baka! First time you see our son since he was a baby and this is how you talk to him?"

Naruto looked towards the source of the two voices and saw two hazy figures.

"Naruto-kun, unfortunately, we cannot materialize more than this. However, we have always loved you and watched over you. It has pained us so much to watch your suffering, but you have made us proud, son. It is time to learn of your heritage."

"I, Namikaze Minato, am your father. I think you know me as the Yondaime Hokage. Your mother here is Uzumaki Kushina."

"… and?"

Minato and Kushina blinked in surprise.

"You didn't think I'd figure it out for myself? I fucking look exactly like you!" Naruto quickly dodged a punch from Kami for his language. "Plus, I have mom's name, and it wasn't hard to dig up the marriage certificate for more proof. Anyways, I'm surprised nobody else figured it out, especially since I'm supposed to be the village baka. While we're at it, what the hell is up with sealing the Kyuubi in me? Did you think that the village would treat me like a hero? Huh?"

Minato's voice was quiet.

"Actually… yea I did…"

Naruto snorted, causing one of the smoky figures kick the other in the face.

"Look at what you did to your son, Minato! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"But Kushina-chan…"

"DON'T YOU KUSHINA-CHAN ME!"

Kami and Yami sweat dropped.

Naruto looked at the pair with squinted eyes, "So, do I have any cool bloodlines or anything?"

Minato chuckled, "Not that I'm aware of, but our compound and jutsu library should still be around. Other than that, we become stronger with old-fashioned hard work."

"Are you sure? So I can't create ice mirrors?"

"No."

"What about firing my bones at my opponents?"

"No."

"I can't even fire laser beams out of my eyes?"

"No, and where the hell did that one come from? Are you stupid?"

"Oi! Who're you calling stupid, stupid?"

Kami slapped the two upside the head to get them back on track. Yami spoke up, "While we'd love to train you for an eternity and watch you get strong," she traced circles on an embarrassed Naruto's chest, "we really need to get you back before it's too late."

She paused, "well, it looks like your precious Baachan has just about wrapped up her lovely little speech. Seems like she's finally found out the truth and has told everybody about it. Man, you should see their faces. Better yet, wait until you see their faces when you come back."

Kami nodded, "Naruto-kun, it's time for you to go back and live in the mortal realm as our champion. Since we cannot train you here, you'll want to leave as soon as you can so that Yami and I can come and give you our gifts. For now, they're secrets, but you'll love them for sure!"

Naruto nodded. Everything was happening too fast to process, but he understood that he was going to go back and get stronger to protect his precious people from the demon fox. Speaking of which, he needed to go out to travel and train. He felt a soft pressure on his cheek, and flushed bright red when he noticed that Kami had planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. Yami swooped in on the other side and kissed the blond on the other cheek. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt a hot tongue trace over his cheek and head towards his mouth. He quickly pulled away, stuttering.

"Aww, Naru-chan is so kawaii," purred Yami.

Kami simply shook her head. Why did her stupid sister always have to ruin moments like these? She turned back to the hyperventilating boy and waved her hand to calm him down.

"Okay, enough of that already," she held up a glowing hand and placed it on Naruto's forehead, and with that, Uzumaki Naruto faded away.

The last thing he heard was his parents whispering to him.

"_Good luck son, go get laid or something-"_

"_Ignore your idiot of a father, Naruto-kun. Remember, we have always loved you."_

Naruto felt a floating sensation before being surrounded in total darkness once more. With a start, Naruto realized that he was back in his body. Slowly, his senses started to kick back in and he started to shuffle about. He was in some sort of narrow wooden container. Before he could process anything else, a lump of dirt was thrown in his face.

With a twitching eyebrow, Naruto leapt up and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

Tsunade drew a shaky breath before steadying her nerves. The foolish village would finally learn of their tremendous folly in executing her Naruto-kun. Tsunade blinked. Her Naruto-kun? She'd think about that later. She began to speak, her voice echoing throughout Konoha.

"What does it mean to have a family? Surely it is much more than common blood that defines the ties that bind one another. A family is a group of people in whom you can place your absolute trust and love. For our families, we are willing to do anything to ensure their safety and happiness. It is that feeling of love and acceptance for which we fight our hardest, and the pain of loss and loneliness that makes us cry the most.

"I ask you this because we are here to mourn the loss of a man who was never given the chance to feel this love and acceptance, yet still felt it necessary to protect not only those he held dear, but also this entire village. You were all witness to the public execution of Uzumaki Naruto, and I have been sickened by the behavior of Konoha since. Have we fallen to the point where we celebrate the death of our own kind?"

At this, a brave villager decided to shout out, "HELL YEA, AND WE'RE PROUD OF-ACK." Jiraiya had appeared in front of the man and lifted him by the neck. A blast of killer intent and the sudden constriction of his windpipes prevented the villager from speaking anymore. Jiraiya hesitantly turned back to the Godaime, ready to intervene in case her fearsome temper caused major destruction. Instead, Tsunade started to laugh, which startled many of the present shinobi who knew of her connection to the deceased blond.

"Let me tell you a story. As you all know, sixteen years ago, the Kyuubi no Youko attacked Konoha. Konoha fought valiantly against the demon, the Kyuubi was simply too powerful. As those old enough to know remember, the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed his life to defeat the Kyuubi, but to seal away the essence of the demon, he required a newborn child to house the soul. With his dying breath the Yondaime asked us all to treat the boy as a hero. However, it was the blind ignorance of the populace that resulted in the complete isolation of this child. Although actual physical abuse was rare, he was never given the love and care that we all take for granted.

"Still, this child persevered and grew up, never turning to hate or evil. His spirit embodied the Will of Fire that our beloved Sandaime believed in. Alone, he was able to inspire those that he met, both inside of and outside Konoha without asking anything in return. It was a terrible fate to be bestowed on such a noble shinobi. I ask of you, fathers and mothers, to look at your children and imagine them living such a life, hated and ignored for something out of their control without the comforts of a family to help them through.

"Uzumaki Naruto was that child so unjustly persecuted these years, cast aside by those that he had sworn to protect."

Another villager worked up the courage to shout out "THAT DEMON BRAT KILLED THE FOURTH! FOR ALL WE KNOW, IT'S THE KYUUBI ITSELF THAT WAS EXECU-urg!" An ANBU officer materialized and knocked him out with a swift chop to the neck. Tsunade sneered and was about to speak when Jiraiya spoke up instead.

"For crying out loud, when will you all ever learn that Naruto isn't the stupid fox? Yondaime and I designed the seal so that the kid would become the jailor of the Kyuubi, not the Kyuubi itself. Of course, the seal wasn't perfect. Simply put, regardless of what we've done on the seal, Naruto had the final say on the success of the seal. I bet you all didn't realize that had he wished, he could have removed the seal and set the Kyuubi to wreak destruction on this ungrateful village. We all owe our lives to his mere existence, and yet he was treated like trash. I know that Minato is up there, disappointed at how you all treated his only son."

At this startling announcement, the village was swept with a flurry of emotion, ranging from confusion to disbelief. Before pandemonium could fully settle in, Tsunade raised her arms calling for silence once more.

"Yes, what Jiraiya said was correct. The late Uzumaki Naruto is the only son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina. I have recently secured Naruto's birth certificate, which carries the seals of the Yondaime and Sandaime. The certificate names Uzumaki Naruto as the son of the Yondaime. The Yondaime made this sacrifice, hoping that you all would see his son as a hero and treat him with respect and dignity. Instead, you have spat upon his image and ideals, trashed his legacy and turned away from his teachings."

At this, the crowd started to shift uneasily. Academy teachers who openly boasted of sabotaging the blond's education hung their heads in shame, as many of them were classmates of the Yondaime. Many shopkeepers and restaurant owners were feeling sick to their stomach as they remembered refusing service to the child, or charging exorbitant prices whenever he tried to pay.

The Konoha 12 and their Jounin sensei simply stood there, each lost in his or her own thoughts. For the genin, news of Naruto's jinchuuriki status and treatment opened their eyes, and for the first time, they saw the pain and suffering that Naruto lived with. The jounin were saddened that they had done nothing to alleviate the boys suffering, serving to further contribute to the boy's isolation. The revelation of Naruto's parentage came as a shock, and only served to further the mortification they felt at their inaction regarding Naruto's treatment.

'_N-n-naruto-kun, I sh-sh-should have been there for you. I-I-I'm sorry.'_

'_Tch, you're not as troublesome as I thought.'_

'…'

'_YOSH! YOU TRULY RIVAL LEE IN HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH!'_

'_Naruto… I treated you like trash back in the academy, only looking at Sasuke. Please forgive me.'_

'_Naruto, thank you for inspiring Hinata and giving her confidence. It's a shame that such a promising shinobi was cut down so early.'_

'_So you do know the burden of carrying a seal, perhaps better than me, and you fought your fate until the end. You never ceased to surprise us all… Uzumaki Naruto. Your eyes were truly greater than mine.' _

'_We've always said that those who like Ichiraku ramen are good people.'_

'_Never abandon one of your pack, man we fucked that up.'_

'_AS EXPECTED OF MY YOUTHFUL RIVAL!'_

'_Naruto thank you for showing Neji that fate isn't everything.'_

'_So that's why father was so concerned for you.'_

'_All this time, Naruto, I've treated you like dirt. I don't deserve to be called your teammate.'_

'_Pft, dobe.'_

'_Obito, sensei, I have failed you two once again.' _

The group looked up to see Tsunade speaking once again.

"Everybody has a dream, and Naruto's dream was to be Hokage. If you've spent any time with him, you would have heard him talk about this particular dream. The first time I heard it, I laughed at him and threw his dream back in his face. The eyes he used to look at me showed the pain at having his dreams constantly rejected, but also the determination in proving me wrong. And he did. After mastering the legendary Rasengan in a couple of weeks, he saved me from Orochimaru and Kabuto, without regard to his own safety."

"I can proudly say that I have had the honor of getting to know Naruto before…" her voice trailed away and the crowd shifted uneasily again. After a moment, Tsunade once again lifted her head and spoke in a clear voice.

"Earlier, I asked you all to think about your families and what they mean to you. Uzumaki Naruto was taken away from his family at birth and was never given the chance to understand love and caring. He cherished the bonds he had with those who had the fortune of knowing him and would fight to the death to protect those bonds. It goes without saying that the betrayal of these bonds, especially from those close to him, hurt Naruto the most." She paused to let her words settle over the crowd.

"I ask that we have a moment of silence to respect Naruto."

Tsunade closed her eyes, silently daring the villagers to interrupt her. However, silence carried through Konoha until Tsunade opened her eyes once more.

"Today, we bid farewell to one of Konoha's greatest heroes, the man who truly saved and protected us all to the very end, a man who, scorned and ignored in life, shall be revered and honored in death. Farewell, Namikaze Naruto."

With that, Tsunade scooped up a pile of soil and ceremoniously emptied the contents into the casket, covering his face.

'_Farewell Naruto-kun, you'll always hold a place in my heart'_

Before she could walk away to allow others to pay their respects, a familiar voice roared out from the casket. A very familiar voice.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?"

The only sound that could be heard was the whispering of the breeze that passed by. Then, as a collective whole, the citizens of Konoha all shouted one inarticulate word:

"EHHHHHHHHHH!"

When Naruto was given the label of 'Konoha's number one surprising ninja', various memories instantly come to mind. There were the minor pranks that culminated in the defacing of the Hokage monument. Those at the chuunin exam remembered Naruto's timely fart in beating Kiba and Naruto reopening his tenketsu to defeat Neji. Although unexpected, these events could easily be explained as creative spontaneity. However, when a supposedly dead Naruto jumps out shouting at his own funeral during which he was revealed as the only son of the Yondaime, he wasn't surprising anymore. He was a fucking miracle.

When Naruto jumped out of the casket and showed the entire population that, indeed, Uzumaki Naruto was alive, a few things happened:

A sobbing Tsunade and Shizune team-glomped Naruto while Jiraiya scribbled fiercely in his notebook.

Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke turned pale.

Hinata fainted murmuring "Naruto-kun."

Shino's sunglasses slipped down his nose.

After gently pushing a slightly hysterical Tsunade away, Naruto flashed his famous grin.

"Heh, it's good to be back, but for now, it's goodbye. Kami asked me to go travel for a while, so you can bet that I'm going to get stronger when I return. I'll see you all later everyone because I have to hurry, otherwise Kami-chan and Yami-chan will be mad at me and do weird things to me. Oh, and you don't have to worry about Kyuubi for now, either. It's sealed away in another dimension. Later, Baachan."

With that, the former Jinchuuriki walked up to Tsunade, kissed her cheek and then sped off into the distance to complete his mission from Kami, leaving the entire population of Konoha stunned into silence.

Lee turned to Neji. "What the fuck just happened?"

Neji cried tears of joy.

A lone shout echoed throughout Konoha, "NARUTOOOOOOOO"

A year passed without any news of the blond, a period marked by normalcy. The sun still rose in the east and set in the west, Jiraiya still peeked on women and Kakashi still read porn. However, it was painfully obvious that there was something different about Konoha ever since the resurrection of the blonde. Tsunade no longer complained about the mounds of paperwork and instead worked tirelessly to improve Konoha's condition, which was set to lead Konoha to even greater prosperity.

Shinobi were also working and training their hardest, inspired by the story of Uzumaki Naruto. A few months after his departure, when stories of the genin's adventures started to circulate, the Uzumaki Naruto fan club was created, along with the first ever Naruto Superstore, which sold Naruto merchandise. Coincidentally, the superstore was erected right next to Ichiraku's ramen stand, whose business had flourished due to the popularity of their new Naruto special.

Team 7 had gained a new member, Sai, and was currently on the training grounds standing around. Sasuke still had a scowl on his face as he tried to burn a hole through a training post with his stare. Sakura had toned down from her uninhibited fangirl days, but still snuck occasional glances at Sasuke. Sai was smiling at Kakashi, who had his beloved orange book open.

Instead of focusing on his favorite smut, Kakashi's mind continued to wander over the third member of the original Team 7. Images of Obito and the Yondaime constantly bombarded his mind over his betrayal. 'Those who ignore rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash, huh?' The stern visage of the Yondaime on the Hokage's monument glared at Kakashi, as if focusing its disgust on the masked copy-nin. With a sigh, Kakashi snapped his book shut and coughed to get his team's attention. Hopefully, Tsunade would give them a mission when they went to report in.

When Team 7 entered the Hokage's office, Tsunade didn't even look up at the trio and threw a scroll at Kakashi, who deftly caught it without a word. Kakashi internally sighed, 'She's been that way ever since we did that to Naruto. Obito, Minato-sensei, I've failed you two.'

Kakashi led his team out of the Hokage's office before opening the scroll to reveal an escort mission to Suna. 'Another C-rank, huh? At least we can get out of Konoha on this mission.' He then turned to his team with an eye smile.

"Well, it looks like we have a c-rank escort mission to Suna. Meet me at the village gates in an hour."

Three hours later, team 7 walked through the village gates on their way to Suna. The group was so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they did not notice as a hooded figure walked past them into Konoha, with a ghost of a smile on his face.

The mysterious visitor strolled through the gates of Konoha after passing by Team 7, where immediately, he was confronted by the two chuunin standing guard.

Izumo, who was standing guard at the gate, had watched as Team 7 left the gates.

'_So, Tsunade-sama finally gave them a mission outside Konoha? Maybe she couldn't stand them after what they did to the kid.'_

Izumo felt a twinge of guilt course through his body at the memory of the blonde jinchuuriki. It had been that way the over the past year. It seemed as if his very name was enough to cast a gloomy atmosphere. Would the son of the Yondaime come back and destroy Konoha? The villager shuddered at the thought that they might have turned the legacy of their greatest hero into their most feared enemies.

Next to Izumo, Kotetsu was also experiencing similar feelings of guilt. He remembered the Iwa war during which the Yondaime had saved him from certain death using this famous Hirashin to catch the enemy shinobi by surprise with a Rasengan. After Naruto's lineage was revealed, images of his savior kept appearing in his mind, only for the picture to subtly change into that of a sightless Naruto.

The duo finally noticed the stranger that had ambled through the gates and moved to confront the hooded figure.

"Halt! What is your purpose in Konoha?"

Izumo fingered the kunai in his pouch, but the visitor raised his hands in a sign of nonaggression. The chuunin remained wary as Kotetsu repeated his question.

"What is your business in Konoha?"

In a hoarse, scratchy voice, the stranger replied, "My business is with the Hokage and the Hokage only. I ask you to not interfere. If you must, one of you can accompany me on my way."

Kotetsu nodded at Izumo, who resumed guard duty. The man seemed harmless after all. Just another day on the job for the pair.

Kotetsu's suspicions diminished as he accompanied the man through the streets. The thought that the man could pose a danger to the citizens of Konoha seemed laughable. Earlier, an errant ball thrown by one of the village struck the man square in the back, which caused him to stumble a bit. When the child ran forwards apologizing profusely, he simply laughed it off and returned the ball before continuing on his way with Kotetsu trailing behind.

The rest of the journey passed without any further incidents, so when they arrived at the Hokage Tower, Kotetsu bid the stranger farewell and returned to his post.

At the receptionist's desk, the man was stopped once more. Apparently, the Hokage was at work and didn't wish to be bothered at the moment. The receptionist quickly explained that the Hokage often buried herself in her work, possibly to mask her worry over Naruto's wellbeing. The man simply bowed and turned back towards the exit, leaving without another word.

'_Looks like we have to this the hard way…'_

The man looked up at a window high up in the Tower and grinned underneath his hood.

Tsunade was poring over the treaty and proposals that had come in recently. Once word of Naruto's execution had gotten out, many of Konoha's allies had sent representatives demanding an explanation for the execution.

Gaara's arrival mere days after Naruto's execution had been a nightmare. Flanked by his two siblings, the newly appointed Kazekage had threatened to break off all diplomatic relations and declare war, and emphasized his point by sending a blast of killer intent at the council members. It had taken the entire council apologizing to the enraged former psychopath in order to even have the opportunity to explain Naruto's improbable resurrection. After being promised that Konoha would send word of Naruto's return as soon as possible, Gaara swept away, leaving a relieved Tsunade while a couple of the civilian council members crept away to change their soiled pants.

Other dignitaries followed Gaara, each expressing disappointment and disgust at Konoha's behavior. Many threatened to withdraw from their treaty agreements, forcing Tsunade and the council to offer to rework their treaties and arrangements.

Tsunade sighed after putting aside yet another piece of paper. She sat back in her chair to close her eyes and think. No matter what, it seemed as if Naruto was constantly the source of trouble in Konoha, even after his belated acceptance by the majority of the villagers.

No, she corrected herself; it was Konoha's foolishness that had caused this in the first place. All they could do was work to change Konoha back into the village that the Yondaime had fought to protect. Maybe Naruto could be convinced to stay in Konoha, where he could find a nice girl to marry and possibly give her grandbabies to spoil.

She leaned back and happily daydreamed of tiny blond, blue-eyed bundles of energy running around, oblivious to her surroundings. The gentle breeze felt nice as it ushered out the stale air. Maybe later she'd go to the hot springs with Shizune for a nice soak.

Wait a moment. Nice breeze? Tsunade always kept the window closed so that her paperwork wouldn't blow away. That meant…

Tsunade's eyes flew open and instantly locked onto the hooded figure standing in front of her. She instinctively threw out a punch, but the visitor nimbly skipped backwards to avoid the blow. She held out her fist and glared at the intruder.

Before she could question the mysterious stranger, the man spoke up first.

"Man, you've really got to work on controlling that temper. First time I see you in ages and you try to hit me? Sheesh, Tsunade-baachan"

Tsunade froze as all of her anger vanished. Her outstretched arm fell limply to her side as she slowly stood up and walked over to the hooded man. After what seemed to be an eternity to the two, Tsunade reached the man and raised her hands to grab the hood with both hands. Tsunade pulled back the hood inch by agonizing inch, hardly daring to raise her hopes.

Finally, Tsunade removed the offending garment and gazed into the man's piercing blue eyes. She finally released the breath that she had been holding, murmuring the name that had haunted her dreams over the past year.

"Naruto…"

After a tearful, bone-crushing hug, Naruto told an incredulous Tsunade about his meeting with Kami and Yami. Tsunade sweat dropped when she heard that Naruto had flirted with two of the most powerful beings in the universe before calling for Shizune.

When Shizune entered, she immediately tackled Naruto in a fierce hug, leaving Naruto gasping for breath. Tsunade had Naruto repeat his story, and when he was finished, Shizune wiped away a tear while Tsunade coughed with her hand outstretched, palm face-up. Grumbling, Shizune dumped a wad of cash into Tsunade's hand grumbling that Kami should have been a man.

With a final hug, Shizune left the office with a smile on her face.

Tsunade turned back to Naruto, "So your eyes are…"

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, a gift from Kami-baasama. Too bad they don't fire lasers or anything." A gust of tightly compressed air slapped Naruto upside the head.

Tsunade simply nodded. There wasn't much to say, especially since it had been divine intervention that had brought Naruto back to life in the first place.

She cleared her throat. "Anyways, we need to test you to see your strengths so we can place you on missions. The Chuunin exams are four months away, and I doubt you'd want to wait until then. That's why we've arranged a test for you. It's going to be a one-on-one combat to determine your abilities. Do you accept?"

Naruto replaced his hood and nodded, "Who am I to face?"

Tsunade snapped her fingers and with a puff of smoke, a figure appeared in the shadows.

"Your opponent will be me, Namikaze-san."

Naruto watched as the figure stepped out of the darkness. Beneath his hood, Naruto's eyes widened in recognition.

"You…"**  
**


	3. He's What?

Chapter 3: He's What?

Tsunade snapped her fingers and with a puff of smoke, a figure appeared in the shadows.

"Your opponent will be me, Namikaze-san."

Naruto watched as the figure stepped out of the darkness. Beneath his hood, Naruto's eyes widened in recognition.

"You…"

Hyuuga Hiashi nodded.

"Namikaze-san, I would like to apologize for my role during the events leading to your execution. I also speak on behalf of the Hyuuga Clan when I ask you to forgive us for our transgressions against your person."

Naruto responded by merely tilting his head.

Hiashi then answered the unspoken question, "I was a teammate of your father and counted myself as one of his closest friends. He stressed teamwork and compassion over everything else. I cannot count the number of times he has saved my family and me. When I found out that I had played such a direct role in the murder of my best friends' son, the grief was unbearable."

Tsunade glanced towards Naruto and whispered, "Hiashi-sama tried to take his own life."

The only sign that Naruto had heard was the slight movement as he focused more attention on Hiashi.

Having guessed Tsunade's message, Hiashi continued, "It was at that moment that Neji, of all people, stopped me. He told me that by taking my life, I would be running away from all Minato again. He told me of how his battle with you during his first chuunin exam had changed him, a metamorphosis that continues to this day as he and I work with Hinata on healing the rift between the Main House and the Branch Houses. For that, I thank you."

To Tsunade's surprise, the Hyuuga Clan bowed to Naruto, an action that Naruto reciprocated.

There was a brief silence before Naruto spoke, "Who arranged this fight?"

Hiashi stepped forward, "Namikaze-san, I requested to administer your test when I heard Tsunade-sama mention it in passing. I have seen how you have changed my nephew's life. I wish to see that strength myself and better hopefully understand the meaning behind that strength. Only then may I consider myself worthy of being a friend of Minato."

As Naruto considered Hiashi's words, Tsunade stole nervous glances at the blond by her side. What had happened during his year away from Konoha? How had he changed? Naruto's calm voice broke the lull in the conversation.

"Very well, Hiashi-sama." Naruto turned to Tsunade, "Where and when will the test be held?"

"The test will be held tomorrow at 10 am in the chuunin exam stadium. I trust you do not mind if a few shinobi decide to watch."

Naruto shook his head.

"If that is all, then I will take my leave. Tsunade-sama, Namikaze-san."

Before Hiashi could shushin out of the office, Naruto spoke up, "Naruto is fine, Hyuuga-sama."

For the first time during his visit, a small smile passed over Hiashi's lips.

"Very well Naruto. In return, I ask that you address me as Hiashi. Know that no matter what the rest of Konoha may say, you will always be welcome among the Hyuuga."

With that, Hiashi shushined out of the office, leaving a flabbergasted Tsunade and a bemused Naruto.

Naruto turned back to Tsunade and gave her a quick hug before leaving, calling over his shoulder, "I'll see you at the stadium soon, baachan."

Tsunade watched the blond walk off before heading back to her desk. Maybe there was still some hope left.

'_Unfortunately, he's even more distrustful of strangers, especially those responsible for his persecution. But still, it's nice to see that Naruto is still giving people a chance.'_

She sighed as she sat down at her desk. The paperwork wasn't going to do itself anytime soon. But first…

Tsunade pulled out a blank scroll and began writing a letter to Gaara, informing him that Naruto had safely returned to Konoha. The possibility of one former Jinchuuriki attacking Konoha with righteous vengeance was bad enough. Tsunade shuddered at the thought of two pissed off former demon containers rampaging throughout Konoha.

As Naruto walked down the street, still wearing his cloak and hood, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of hope.

'_So the Hyuuga are on my side, huh? Perhaps Konoha can truly change.'_

The rumbling of his stomach cut an end to his musings. A trip to Ichiraku's was in store.

"AHH! That was fantastic. Another bowl, old man. Miso this time."

"Haha, you know, you remind me of our favorite customer. He's been… out of town lately, but when he comes back, I'm going to treat him to our newest ramen- the Naruto special."

"Whoa, you named a ramen after me? Sniff… sniff… that's so beautiful."

"IS THATYOU, NARUTO?"

Amidst the clattering of pots and pans, Teuchi leapt over the counter followed closely by Ayame. The Ichiraku duo enveloped their favorite customer in a group hug. Naruto felt a rogue hand slip southward and jumped back quickly.

"Ayame-neechan!"

The buxom ramen waitress winked at the blushing blond before heading back to her station to place another bowl of ramen in front of Naruto.

With a sigh, Naruto turned to the steaming bowl of ramen placed in front of him. Out of the corner of his eye, an orange sign caught his eye.

'The Naruto Superstore- the best place for all things Naruto'

"EHH? What the hell is that?"

Teuchi laughed, "So it looks like you finally noticed. It seems that you've got yourself quite a following amongst the younger shinobi."

"Yea, but it looks like a piece of crap."

Indeed, the grand Naruto Superstore was nothing more than a rundown shack next to Ichiraku's ramen store.

Ayame giggled and ruffled Naruto's hair, "Why don't you go check it out after you're done. But first, why don't you tell us about what you've been up to. I don't want to be insensitive or anything, but we're pretty curious as to how you… well… came back to life."

Teuchi turned down the stove to listen better, trying to hide his own burning curiosity.

As Naruto began to explain the events following his execution, Teuchi had trouble believing that the boy, no, man in front of him had come back at the behest of Kami herself. But there he was, sitting there and telling his story with flailing arms and exaggerated facial expressions. Just maybe Kami was real. Teuchi paled as he realized that he hadn't prayed in quite some time.

As Naruto continued to retell his tale to a captivated Ayame, a certain chuunin instructor happened to pass by and notice the blond.

"Naruto? Is that you?"

Naruto turned and saw Iruka standing in the middle of the street staring at him.

"Iruka-sensei!"

Seeing his former academy teacher for the first time in a year, Naruto ran towards Iruka and tackled the academy instructor in a bone-crushing hug.

Iruka pried Naruto off and stared at him.

"Naruto, you look more grown up than when I last saw you. And you have your eyes again, after what they did to you."

"Yeah, Kami gave them to me, so now they're back."

"Ahh, Tsunade-sama mentioned that to me just now. Took me a while to believe it, bet you certainly are Konoha's number one surprising ninja. In fact, there's something she wanted me to give you. Close your eyes for one moment, will you Naruto?"

Naruto complied, and soon felt a familiar weight being tied around his forehead. He opened his eyes to see a smiling Iruka. Raising one hand, he slowly traced his hand over the worn metal of his old hitai-ate, remembering all the memories contained within the symbol of Konoha.

'_That's right. Now that I am once again wearing the symbol of the leaf, I must once again protect those that I hold dear to me. If the village is willing to accept me this time, then it'll be even better.'_

"Just like last time, right Iruka-sensei?"

"Yeah Naruto, but you have to agree that the circumstances were different last time. So what do you plan to do now?"

"Well I finished eating, so I figured I'd take a look inside that store over there."

Iruka smirked, "Getting cocky, are you Naruto? Just because you have your own store doesn't mean that you should go stomping around inside for kicks."

Naruto pouted, "Jeez, Iruka-sensei, I just wanted to know why a store named after me looks like a piece of shit."

"Ahh, so you haven't been inside yet, have you? Tell you what. I'll go in with you and we'll have a look together. But first, put on your hood. You don't want to attract too much attention, trust me."

Naruto nodded and raised his hood. After paying for his meal and leaving a generous tip for Ayame, Naruto followed Iruka to the store.

Whatever Naruto was expecting to see inside the store, it certainly was not an empty room, save fore the lone staircase at the back of the room. He turned to Iruka.

"What's the staircase for?"

"So you've seen through the genjutsu already? Impressive, seeing how genjutsu was your worst subject at school. The genjutsu, as well as the store itself, was Tsunade-sama's idea. Before, when your, err, fan club built the store, it was open to everybody. Unfortunately, there are still some people, civilian and shinobi alike, who still cannot see you for who you really are."

Naruto nodded, as this was expected. After all, for every person that able to own up to a mistake and is willing to change, there will be another who stubbornly sticks to his or her own beliefs.

"As such, the original store was constantly vandalized. One night, a bunch of shinobi and civilian gathered and tried to burn the store down. Tsunade-sama herself broke up the crowd herself. While she couldn't punish the civilians for their actions, she made sure that Ibiki personally saw to the shinobi involved. Lots of gruesome rumors have floated out of the Torture and Interrogation Department regarding their fate.

"That's why she decided to put up this genjutsu around the store. The shinobi who still fear you don't dare to interfere, thanks to Tsunade-sama's stern warnings, and the civilians can't see through the genjutsu either so it works out. Well, that was mostly during the early days when people were still starting to change their minds regarding you and the Kyuubi.

"Naruto, there are a lot of people who are ashamed of how you were treated and now see you differently than they did before your execution. However, there are still people who fear and hate you out of ignorance and stubbornness. Even though they aren't out in the open anymore, you still need to remember that not everybody has accepted you."

Naruto bowed his head slightly at this. Iruka noticed and placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, Naruto. Just give it some time and they'll eventually come around. You have a special knack for that. For now, why don't we head downstairs and check out what's inside. It's been a while since I've looked around."

Naruto nodded and the pair headed down the flight of stairs.

When the two reached the bottom of the stairwell, Naruto stared at the sight before him, mouth wide open. Everything was so… orange.

Iruka half-expected the blond to run from stand to stand in a hyperactive frenzy, trying on the merchandise and chatting happily with the other customers milling about.

Instead, Naruto slowly walked among the merchants, occasionally fingering an outfit or picking up and examining an action figure.

Iruka sadly watched Naruto knowing that despite his sunny disposition, there was a deeper emotion that surfaced on occasion, the desire to fit in and find unconditional love.

'_Naruto, there are so many times that I wish that I could have been there for you when you were younger. Back at the academy, I treated you much like the others did. If it wasn't for the Sandaime, I wouldn't have been able to see this side of you today; I would be like the rest. You are a much better man than I will ever be, Naruto.'_

Iruka was roused from his musings when he heard Naruto's voice.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, I was wondering. Why exactly are the people here doing what they're doing? What do they see in me?"

"Naruto, it may seem a bit… excessive but believe me, all these people here that are buying and selling your stuff truly have been able to look within themselves and realize that they have made a mistake. Like I said earlier, you'll find that many people, especially the younger generation, look up to you. You're a hero to them."

Naruto shifted uneasily, and Iruka instantly picked up on the cause.

"Naruto, this is nothing like the rabid obsession that the girls had for Sasuke back in the academy. The girls then were caught up in their fantasies over a silly crush. These are people who look up to you for who you are and what you have done for Konoha your whole life. You deserve this recognition. It's something you've worked for."

"Yeah, but aren't they just doing this because of who my father was?"

"Naruto…"

"I know, but still, aren't they doing this not because of me, but out of obligation to my father?"

Iruka walked up to Naruto and grabbed his cloak. Pulling his face in close, Iruka stared into Naruto's hooded eyes.

"Naruto, I beg of you, please have some more faith in Konoha. You've been ignored for much of your life, and now that people are giving you attention, you're turning them away? You're just running away from your past."

Naruto's eyes flared dangerously. He threw Iruka's hands off his cloak and stared into Iruka's now fearful eyes.

"Iruka, do not remind me of the hell that I went through as a child. You claim to know the pain of isolation, but do you know the joy of finally being accepted, and then having that all taken away?"

Naruto backed away and whispered softly, "It hurts so much, Iruka-sensei. To fight so hard for a place that despises your very existence in hopes that one day things would turn around."

"Naruto… I…"

Naruto's smile was visible underneath his hood, "I think I can put my hopes in Konoha one last time. Never give up; that's my nindo."

Naruto walked through the bookshelf aisles, scanning the titles of novels featuring Naruto as the protagonist.

Naruto pulled out a small black-covered book and looked at the cover.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, look, there's a book about us!"

"Really, what's it called?"

"Let's see, The Dolphin and the Fox: complete with lemony goodness. Let's see what it's about…"

Iruka sweat dropped, "Uhh, Naruto… I don't think that's such a great idea…"

Ignoring the words of the scarred chuunin, Naruto opened the book and began to read. His look of eager anticipation quickly shifted into one of absolute horror and disgust.

"What the hell is this? Who the hell would write about… about…"

Naruto fainted.

Back at Ichiraku's ramen stand, Ayame let loose a violent sneeze. Somebody was probably talking about her.

'_I hope it was Naruto-kun…'_

Naruto awoke to find himself in an unfamiliar bed. He rolled out of bed and checked his surroundings. It was a relatively nondescript room, with a single bed, nightstand, dresser and desk, but nothing personal to give a hint as to his location.

He noticed a folded piece of paper on the desk, so he went over to it, picked it up and read its contents.

'Naruto, after you fainted, I took you home with me and put you in my guest bedroom. You were out cold, and I didn't want to leave you in the store. In any case, it was nice seeing you once again. I'm sorry I can't watch your match today, since we are in the middle of the academy exams, but you will do fine, I'm sure. You can tell me all about it tonight at Ichiraku's, my treat of course.

Signed, Iruka'

With a sigh, Naruto folded the note back up and placed it in his pouch. That was when he noticed that the clock on the nightstand read 9:55 am.

'_Shit, 5 minutes until the test. Got to hurry'_

Naruto left Iruka's house in a blur and took off in the direction of the Chuunin Exam Stadium.

Inside the stadium, everybody was waiting in silence.

"GAI-SENSEI, IT SEEMS AS IF NARUTO-KUN'S FLAMES OF YOUTH HAVE NOT BEEN LIT TODAY!"

"LEE, AS PROTECTORS OF THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH, IT IS OUR DUTY TO REKINDLE NARUTO'S FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

"YOSH! IF I FAIL TO DO THAT, I WILL CLIMB THE HOKAGE MONUMENT WITH ONLY MY THUMBS!"

"AND I WILL GO WITH YOU AS WELL! IF I CANNOT DO THAT, I SHALL WALK TO SUNA ON MY HANDS BACKWARDS!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"WILL YOU TWO JUST SHUT UP ALREADY? Every day it's the same damn speech and flamboyant stupidity. GROW UP FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

Everybody stared in shock and fear at the fuming Tenten, who had just displayed the power to stop the combined might of Lee and Gai. Lee and Gai started to cry.

"LEE, IT APPEARS OUR DEAR TENTEN'S YOUTHFULNESS HAS FADED AWAY!"

A tick developed in Tenten's forehead.

"YES, GAI-SENSEI, WE MUST HELP TENTEN REDISCOVER HER FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

The tick grew larger.

"LEE!"

Neji nervously started to edge away.

"GAI-SENSEI!"

Tenten exploded.

"OKAY, THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO REMOVE YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH MYSELF IF YOU DON'T SHUT THE FUCK UP RIGHT NOW, YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

She summoned a pair of katana out of nowhere and pointed them towards Lee and Gai's flames of youth to emphasize her point.

Gai and Lee paled and sat down, crossing their legs and using their hands to protect their precious flames of youth.

Tenten looked around and saw that everybody was staring at her. She flushed red in embarrassment but managed shouted out, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?"

It was silent in the stadium as everybody continued to wait.

"SORRY I'M LATE, EVERYBODY!"

The crowd turned as one to meet the new arrival, who cast aside his hood and cloak to reveal himself to the observers.

"NARUTO!"

"IS THAT REALLY YOU?"

"His eyes are back…"

"GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN, DUDE!"

"My, he's pretty hot."

Tsunade's voice cut through the shouts and cries.

"QUIET! Okay, now that both opponents are here, I'd like to announce the return of Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. Today, we will be assessing Naruto's skill level. His opponent will be the head of the Hyuuga Clan, Hyuuga Hiashi."

Hiashi stepped down onto the field to the shock of the spectators and stared at Naruto.

"Naruto, I trust that you will prove a formidable opponent for me."

Naruto's eyes hardened, the warm blue shifting into frigid ice.

"I ask the same of you, Hiashi."

Hiashi nearly took a step backwards. This was the very look that Minato wore before facing his enemies. Hiashi could easily perceive the determination underscoring the cold, calculating glare.

"There are no limits on jutsu, although killing blows are forbidden. The match will end once one side forfeits or is unable to continue. Ready… Begin!"

Hiashi flashed through some hand seals.

"Test number one, genjutsu- **Hyuuga Secret Technique: Death Viewing Jutsu**"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Weren't the Hyuuga supposed to specialize in the Jyuuken?

Meanwhile, the audience was having similar thoughts. Finally, Neji spoke up.

"So this is Hiashi-sama's true strength… incredible."

The nearby shinobi turned to Neji for clarification.

"The Hyuuga are best known for taijutsu. However, there are several techniques that are said to be so powerful and difficult to master that they have passed into legend. To think that Hiashi-sama has learned and mastered one is incredible; Unfortunately, I do not know what this particular Jutsu does."

Hinata, seated nearby interjected.

"Father told me about this technique once. He said it was comparable to the final stage of the Sharingan. It forces the victim into an illusion in which his or her loved ones torture and maim the victim. What is father doing?"

The nervous crowd turned its attention back to the battle and was surprised to see Naruto standing, seemingly unaffected. Naruto smirked at a wide-eyed Hiashi.

"Too bad, Hiashi. Genjutsu doesn't affect me anymore."

"Impressive, your father was the only other person who could break free of my illusion. Nevertheless, it's over." Hiashi slid into a familiar stance, activating his Byakugan. "You are within the range of my Divination"

He sprang forwards, striking Naruto in the chest.

"2 hits"

"4 hits"

"8 hits"

"16 hits"

"32 hits"

"64 hits"

"128 hits"

Naruto flew back into the wall, coughing up blood due to the 254 consecutive strikes.

Hiashi bowed, deactivated his Byakugan and turned to Tsunade.

"The fight is over. I have sealed off all of his tenketsu."

Tsunade did not say anything and instead stared at the spot that Naruto had flown with wide eyes. Hiashi turned around and saw Naruto standing in a battle stance, ready to fight and holding two blades. In his right hand, Naruto wielded a pure-white zanbato. At the handle there was a black and white chain that was attached to a jet black wakizashi that Naruto held in his left.

Hiashi reactivated his Byakugan and stared at Naruto before gasping in surprise.

"Your-"

He was cut off as Naruto threw the wakizashi at Hiashi, who quickly activated his Kaiten, deflecting the projectile. The chain retracted, returning the wakizashi to Naruto's hand.

Naruto smirked as Hiashi gulped nervously. Naruto slashed upwards with the zanbato and a burst of white light shot forth from the zanbato.

**Angel Technique: Judgment**

Hiashi instinctively activated his Kaiten, praying that his absolute defense could hold up to this mysterious attack.

The resultant explosion rocked the stadium, and as the smoke started to dissipate, the crowd eagerly scanned the stadium for any activity. Finally the field came into sight, revealing a panting Naruto leaning on his zanbato and an unconscious Hiashi on the ground. Roars of approval coursed throughout the stadium. Tsunade walked up to the center of the stadium and proudly gave the verdict.

"Winner- Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto."

Up in the stadium, Hinata had her Byakugan activated and wore a look of absolute shock. Kiba noticed this.

"Hey! Hinata, what's the matter?"

"N-n-naruto-kun… he's…"

"Yeah, yeah he's awesome, we all know already."

"That's not it, Kiba-kun…"

Hanabi snorted and activated her own Byakugan to see what the problem was. Her eyes fell on Naruto and she gasped in surprise.

"Impossible…"

Now all the attention focused on the younger daughter of the Hyuuga Clan.

"Namikaze has massive chakra coils, but… no, it's impossible…"

Ino was running out of patience. "But what? Spit it out already, not all of us have those precious eyes!"

Neji's next words sent chills through all that were listening.

"Naruto-sama does not have any chakra."


	4. Revelations

Chapter 4: Revelations

The shinobi around Neji were stunned. No chakra? What did that mean?

"YOSH! NARUTO-KUN, HAS FOUND A WAY TO OVERCOME THE INABILITY TO USE CHAKRA! THROUGH HARD WORK, HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY!"

Hinata spoke up, to the surprise of the group. Although her stutter had almost completely vanished since Naruto's execution, she was still a quiet and reserved girl.

"That's not quite right, Lee-san. You are simply unable to mold extra chakra beyond what your body naturally produces. You still have chakra running through your coils, which allows you to move around. Naruto-kun has no chakra at all. He shouldn't be able to move around, much less defeat Father in a battle."

They looked on as Naruto put his cloak and hood back on before slipping his two swords the folds of his cloak.

Naruto turned to the crowd and grinned. "I know you all probably have a bunch of questions for me. I will be at Tsunade's office in three hours to answer any questions that anybody may have for me. Until then, I have some business that I must attend to."

With that, Naruto turned around and walked away with an attitude that left no room for rebuttal.

Three hours passed, and Tsunade sat in her office, waiting for the blond to arrive. She looked over the assembled group in her office. The people were milling about and idly chatting, but the anticipation in the atmosphere was clearly evident.

A knock was heard on the door, and the room instantly fell silent. All eyes focused on the group that entered the room- Team 7 lead by Kakashi. Tsunade's eyes narrowed. An escort mission to Suna should take more than a day to complete.

"Hatake, report."

"Yes, Hokage-sama. The escort turned out to be a spy for Sound, who attempted to capture Sasuke. We subdued the enemy and brought him to Ibiki for interrogation."

"Good job Hatake, Team 7."

Sakura spoke up. "Um, Hokage-sama? Why is everybody gathered here? Is something happening?"

Tsunade smirked, _'Naruto might be upset, but it will definitely make things much more interesting.'_

"Yes, Haruno. Something is going to happen soon. Team 7, stay here for a while."

Team 7 complied, and the group of shinobi continued to wait, this time in complete silence. Finally, the doors swung open once more, and Naruto casually walked into the office.

"N-n-naruto?"

Naruto glanced at the pink-haired kunoichi and walked went over to Tsunade's desk without a word.

Finally, he turned around, "I know that many of you have questions, so ask away."

Hinata spoke first, to the surprise of many, "How did you come back to life, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto smiled mysteriously, "A gift from Kami."

Shino raised his eyebrows, "And your eyes?"

Naruto nodded, "Gift from Kami."

"YOSH! YOUR FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE BRIGHTER THAN EVER! WE MUST TRAIN TOGETHER IN ORDER TO RAISE OUR COLLECTIVE YOUTHS!"

Naruto grinned, and everybody held their breaths. Was Naruto going to join the infamous Green Beasts of Konoha?

"It's good to see you too, Lee. I'm afraid I have to decline, however, because my training schedule is fundamentally different from yours. We would be holding each other back. Instead, we can have a spar some time."

Lee nodded with flames in his eyes.

'_Has he finally unlocked a doujutsu?'_

The copy-nin asked a question that had been on his mind for a while.

"What have you been up to over this past year?"

Naruto silently looked at Kakashi, empty blue eyes gazing into Kakashi's lone uncovered eye. Kakashi nervously shifted.

Finally Naruto responded, "Training."

A tick mark formed in Sakura's forehead, and the pinkette exploded in fury.

"TRAINING! THAT'S ALL YOU'VE BEEN UP TO? WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TO ABANDON KONOHA AND TEAM 7 IF YOU JUST WANTED TO TRAIN, YOU STUPID IDI-"

Sakura suddenly stopped when she locked eyes with Naruto. She felt a chill course through her body as Naruto's icy blue eyes seemed to peer into her very soul. At that moment, Sakura finally realized that the Naruto that she thought she knew didn't exist anymore.

'_What have I done?'_

The room was silent in the wake of Sakura's outburst for a while.

Hiashi finally spoke up, "Naruto, during our fight I noticed something unusual about your body."

Naruto smiled at this, knowing where the question would lead, "You saw that I have no chakra, right?"

While Hiashi nodded his head in confirmation, there were gasps of surprise from those who were not around Neji and Hinata during the earlier battle.

"Pft, dobe."

Most of the shinobi glared at the Uchiha, but Naruto simply ignored Sasuke before continuing on as if nothing had happened.

"It's true. I found out soon after I came back to life that I no longer possess any chakra of my own. Apparently, when Kyuubi was released from my body, the stupid fox burned away both of our chakra supplies. As it left, it managed to permanently ruin my chakra core, which prevents me from generating any chakra. Once I used up all of my chakra reserves, that was it."

"So how are you able to move around, much less fight without any chakra?"

"I don't quite understand it myself, but somehow it works. Chakra is supposed to enhance movement, not initiate movement, so movement without chakra is possible, even if it's extremely difficult."

"On the plus side, jutsu and bloodlines that use the enemy's jutsu are completely useless against me. The Sharingan, which reads chakra flow, cannot copy anything and the Byakugan is completely blind to my presence. I used to suck at genjutsu, but now I'm immune."

Tsunade gaped, "That was… intelligent and well-thought out…"

Naruto smirked, "Not having a bloodthirsty demon whispering in your ear, constantly trying to get you to go on a violent killing spree anymore did wonders for my reasoning capacity."

Tsunade scraped her mouth off the floor, "I… see"

"Still, that doesn't explain that strange jutsu that you used during the match."

"Always the smart one, aren't you, Shikamaru. Then tell me, what are the basic chakra element types?"

"Tch, how troublesome. Fire, water, wind, earth and lightning."

"That's right. During my training, I… discovered some hidden elemental manipulation abilities."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"So, which elements can you control, or do you have control over multiple elements? Or can you control them all?"

"None of them, actually. However, I can control two other elements… light and dark."

"Huh?"

Naruto lifted his right hand and after a moment of concentration, a pure-white aura enveloped his hand. He then lifted his left hand, and it was quickly shrouded in darkness.

"What about your swords? I bet this new chakra of yours has something to do with it."

Naruto looked over at an eager Tenten. He grinned and reached into his coat, pulling out two sword hilts. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed them over to Tenten, who had stars in her eyes as she inspected

the hilts.

"So you channel this chakra into these sword hilts, which materializes the chakra into blades, right? And that chain too, right?"

Naruto nodded, and Tenten pouted.

"Hmph, that means that I can't try out these blades. That sucks."

She returned the hilts, giving them final wistful look.

"Actually, pure elemental manipulation is different from chakra elemental manipulation, but that's a discussion for another day. Anyways, I think we should call it a day."

Before he could leave, Tsunade called out to Naruto.

"Hey Naruto, catch."

She threw a small object at the blond, who caught it without looking. Naruto opened his hand and glanced at the golden key and a slip of paper with instructions before walking out with a faint smile on his face, followed closely by Team 7.

With that, Tsunade turned to the remaining shinobi with a smirk, "Well, we have to hurry and prepare for the party now."

On his way out, Naruto heard a familiar voice drifting out.

"My, Naruto, is that that the proper way to treat your teammates after all this time? You could at least say hi."

'_Shit, not now,'_

"What do you want? I've got things to do, so hurry up and say what you want to say."

"Naruto, listen to us. What we did back then, we did what we thought was best for the team."

"…"

"We didn't want it to happen, Naruto."

"…"

"Naruto, please return to Team 7."

"…"

"Damn it, say something Naruto!"

"Is that all, Hatake?"

With that, Naruto started to walk away from a shocked Team 7 when a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Fight me, Naruto."

Naruto turned and saw Sasuke glaring at him.

'_Is the teme checking me out?'_

"No thanks."

"Dobe… I said fight me… NOW."

Sasuke activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and stared Naruto in the eye with an arrogant smirk. His smirk quickly turned into a horrified grimace as Naruto's icy blue eyes bore through Sasuke.

"Very well…"

Naruto raised a hand shrouded in shadow and thrust his hand in Sasuke's face.

**Devil Technique: Vision of Darkness**

Sasuke stumbled backwards, clawing at his eyes and howling while Naruto walked away, hands in his pockets.

"OI, NARUTO! WHAT DID YOU DO TO SASUKE-KUN?"

"Ah, give it a rest Haruno. I used a jutsu that temporarily blinded Uchiha. He'll be fine tomorrow."

With that, Naruto continued on his way, leaving a quiet Team 7 in his wake.

Sai broke the uncomfortable silence, "It appears that Naruto-kun has a bigger penis than Sasuke-chan."

Naruto stood in front of his new house and took a deep breath… and narrowed his eyes. There were noises coming from within the house. He quickly unlocked the door and burst inside, kunai in hand.

He was met with the sight of a frantic Tsunade barking orders at shinobi left and right. The shinobi were desperately hanging up various party decorations.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Uhh…"

Naruto sweat dropped at the scene.

Slightly red-faced, Tsunade explained, "Well, we were going to hold a welcome back party for you, but some of us got a bit… distracted."

"Huh?"

Kiba shouted out from the bar, "Dude, Naruto, your place is fucking awesome. I mean, some of the stuff is a bit outdated, but once you pimp this shit up, your house will be where it's at."

"Ehh?"

"Don't pay attention to Kiba. He can't hold his sake like a man. Why don't you just take a tour of your new house while we get things ready?"

As Naruto walked through his new home, he was impressed with the efficient elegance of the Namikaze household. There was a small training dojo that was clean with plenty of training equipment. Next to the dojo was a well stocked armory. Naruto looked around the armory, lightly fingering the katana, kunai and shuriken neatly packed in their respective containers. His glance fell on a box marked 'Hirashin.'

Naruto walked over to the box and pulled out a three-pronged kunai.

'_Hirashin no Jutsu, huh… must have been one hell of a technique, father.'_

With that thought, Naruto replaced the kunai and left the armory to continue his self-guided tour.

He noticed the jutsu library and made a mental note to study some of the scrolls. Although he could no longer use normal shinobi jutsu, it couldn't hurt to understand the nature of the various techniques that he could encounter.

Naruto passed by through the kitchen, office and bedroom with a smile on his face. Finally, he had his own home.

He passed by a door marked 'Hot Springs', and his smile widened. He walked through the door, intent on checking out the onsen. He was so eager to see the onsen that he failed to notice the basket of clothes in the changing room containing a pink Chinese-styled shirt and blue pants.

"Whoa! It's awesome!"

Naruto's gaze swept over the hot spring with stars in his eyes. He loved his new house: it was clean, it had its own training dojo and armory, as well as a jutsu library and an onsen. Most of all, it felt like home, the place where his parents had lived and the place where he would have grown up.

An indignant feminine voice broke through his musings.

"HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

'_Shit, what should I do… hold on…_'

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY ONSEN? HE, AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

A figure stepped through the steam, and Naruto could clearly see Tenten's towel-clad figure. In spite of himself, Naruto couldn't help but stare at Tenten—her warm chocolate eyes, her cute button nose, her luscious red lips, her delicate neck leading straight down to her developed-

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING?"

Tenten summoned a kunai out of thin air and waved it threateningly in front of Naruto.

'_Ehh? Where the hell did she summon that kunai from? I didn't see any summoning scroll, and she doesn't have pockets or a pouch to hold that... Maybe…'_

Naruto flushed red as he contemplated a possible storage unit for Tenten's kunai, and a tiny dribble of blood fell from his nose. Tenten noticed and narrowed her eyes dangerously, freezing Naruto in place.

"YOU STUPID PERVERT!"

Naruto screamed in terror and bolted from the onsen faster than Lee with five of his gates open while Tenten looked on in surprise.

'_Did he really think that I would attack him?' _

The rest of his tour passed without much incident, and by then, Tsunade and the shinobi had finished preparing for the party, so Naruto headed over to join the group.

His smile upon seeing everybody slightly faltered when he saw Kakashi, Sakura and Sai huddled together in a corner. Kakashi and Sakura were anxiously glancing at a brooding Sasuke.

'_How did they get here?'_

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's get this party started!"

With a cheer, the shinobi began to party.

Naruto was about to head in the direction of the ramen stand set up by Teuchi and Ayame, but a hand grabbed Naruto and forced him to the bar.

"Oi, brat… I've waited too long for this. You and I are having a drink now."

Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake and two saucers and began to pour the sake into the dishes.

"Hey, where's Ero-Sennin at? I haven't seen him around."

Tsunade finished pouring and sighed, placing the bottle on the counter before taking a sip of the sake.

"Jiraiya hasn't been doing too well recently. He took your execution pretty hard, and I think he regrets not being there for you when you were younger. He drowns himself in his work, barely spending any time in Konoha before heading out on another mission."

Naruto took a sip of the sake before downing the rest of the sake in one gulp.

"I see, I guess I should talk to him when he gets back."

Naruto pulled out another bottle of sake from the bar and started to drink directly from the bottle. Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"Been working on your tolerance recently?"

"Hmph, I don't get drunk. Alcohol inhibits the flow of chakra to your vitals. Since I don't have any chakra, I don't need to worry about feeling the effects of alcohol. Well, at least the taste is good."

'_Lucky bastard.'_

Naruto left the bar to mingle with the others, leaving a jealous Tsunade slumped over at the bar.

As Naruto walked away, he bumped into someone, sending her sprawling to the ground.

"Umm… are you okay?"

The figure turned to face Naruto, bringing him face to face with a snarling Tenten.

"GAHH! I'm so sorry, forgive me. I'm begging you!"

Tenten got to her feet and Naruto flinched, expecting the worst. Instead, Tenten merely spun on her heel and stalked away.

"Watch where you're going next time, baka."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"OI, Naruto! Come over here and join us for a bit. We're singing karaoke. Give it a try."

Naruto looked over and saw Lee and Gai singing a surprisingly accurate rendition of 'Macho Man' while spectators cringed at the sight.

'_I thought the Village People were gay, but this is too much.'_

He turned to walk away, but Kiba forcibly dragged Naruto to join the group. He was forced to sit through Shino singing 'La Cucaracha', Ino singing 'Like a Virgin' and Neji singing classical Italian opera surprising well.

He was about to sneak off and escape when a microphone was thrust into his arms and he was gently pushed towards the stage. Naruto sighed.

'_Might as well sing and get this over with, then_

**Be for you, Be for me****: Ueda Yuji, Horie Yui, Kuwatani Natsuko (Translation by Kaworu S.)**

**I'm aching for something**

**Because I just realized it**

**In a town where everyone rushes about**

**I tried walking a little slower**

**The wish I can't tell, I want to make it with you**

**Sometimes when I want to cry, I close my eyes and think TRY**

**But you're here, and I wish for love**

**At any time, I want your heart to be by my side**

**That's why I'm here, I'm looking for love**

**If we're together, we'll change tears into kindness**

**The dream will surely come true**

Those around Naruto had the same thought running through their minds. _'Was Naruto always this talented?'_ Indeed, his voice effortlessly conveyed his pain and loneliness to all those within hearing range.

**Where you were, what you were doing**

**I'm always thinking about you**

**I'm taking the blue sky of today**

**To make the color of our commemoration**

**My voice won't say the prayer even though I want to be there**

**Even with broken hearts, people grow strong and oppressive, WHY**

**You're here, and I wish for love**

**A miracle that will only go on for us**

**And I'm here, looking for love**

**From now on, together we start walking**

**To the endless future**

Tenten was idly milling about, somewhat bored when she heard Naruto's voice drift over from the karaoke machine. She stopped and listened, Naruto's soft dulcet tones penetrating deep into her core.

'_Is this how you truly feel, Naruto?'_

**Forever, you'll be here wishing for love**

**The only one for me is you**

**I'm over there, looking for love**

**For an instant a depressing moment shines**

**Surely just for us.**

There was a silence as all of the women, as well as some of the men wiped tears from their eyes before the audience erupted in cheers. Hell, he sang it better than the original artists themselves did. Refusing to sing again, Naruto moved on, leaving Kiba to howl a rough rendition of 'Who Let the Dogs Out?' while Akamaru whined and covered his ears with his paws.

As time went along, the party became rowdier and rowdier, partly due to the sake flowing from the bar. After Anko had used her snakes to hold him in place while she and Kurenai gave him a double lap dance, Naruto decided to head out to get some fresh air.

Tenten was nursing a saucer of sake while looking over the party. She was with her idol, Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin, which would usually send Tenten into a squeal of fangirl frenzy, but seeing her idol shit-faced drunk put a damper on the excitement.

She looked up and noticed Naruto walking out the door, unnoticed by the others. She downed her remaining saucer and decided to follow the blond.

Tenten followed Naruto to the training ground and saw Naruto pull out his hilts. She watched, transfixed as light and dark burst from the hilts before settling into the familiar zanbato and wakizashi. A black and white chain blurred into existence, connecting the two blades. Tenten resisted the urge to droll at the sight of the beautiful weaponry.

She then watched as Naruto jumped around, swinging his sword with reckless abandon, destroying the training ground in the process.

'_What incredible power… but still…'_

"Geez, your form sucks."

Naruto spun around glaring at the bun-haired kunoichi.

"What do you want? Did you come here just to insult me and make fun of me?"

Tenten started to back down, but she quickly bounced back.

"I was just going for a walk, and I happened to see you practicing. With the way you fight, I could beat you in three moves."

"Oh yeah? Bring it."

Naruto settled down into a fighting stance while Tenten pulled out three kunai.

Naruto jumped forward, swinging at Naruto with the zanbato. Tenten leaped into the air, hurling a kunai at Naruto, who blocked it with his zanbato.

"ONE!"

Naruto smirked. Three moves? There was no way that could be possible.

"TWO!

Naruto's eyes widened as Tenten's second kunai caught the chain, pinning his weapon to the ground.

'_Tch, good move, but it's not over yet…'_

With a burst of light the kunai was blown from the chain, freeing his weapons.

"THREE!"

Naruto gulped as he felt the cold steel of Tenten's remaining kunai resting against his neck.

"I give up."

Tenten cheered while Naruto sighed. The two slumped down on the cool evening grass.

"I can't believe that I was beaten by a girl."

Tenten's eyes flashed dangerously.

"What was that?"

Naruto nervously began to sweat.

"Uhh, nothing… I was just talking to myself… aha aha aha…"

Naruto put his hand behind his head and laughed in what he hoped was an innocent manner.

"Good, because I thought I heard you say something about women being weaker than men."

"Erm… anyways, you said that there were flaws in my form, and you… well… kicked my ass to prove your point. So could you show me what I did wrong?"

"Naruto, it would take a long time to fix your swordsmanship, and wielding two different blades makes things that much harder. I have specialized in weapons since my academy days, so learning how to use those blades wouldn't be too difficult for me, but you need to learn the basics in order to develop any proficiency, which could take years. Remember, the only reason you managed to beat Hiashi-sama with your blades was because you caught him by surprise."

Naruto visibly drooped, which Tenten immediately picked up. She decided to soften up.

"Hey, tell you what. I'm free tomorrow, so if you meet me here tomorrow at 9 in the morning, I can show you some of the basics and get you started in terms of improving your swordsmanship."

"Really?"

"Yeah, just make sure you're here on time and ready to train, or I'm going to make sure that you won't be a very happy person tomorrow."

Naruto silently nodded. He didn't know what Tenten would do to him for being late, but he didn't want to find out, either.

"Naruto…"

"Yeah?"

"Well… I was wondering… What's it like to die?"

Naruto stared at Tenten, his piercing blue eyes never breaking contact with Tenten's brown eyes. Tenten squirmed nervously.

"You know, they say that as shinobi, we must be emotionless on the battlefield, but death is something that we all think about when we're idle, not doing anything. Each time we go out on a mission, we know that it may be our last, but still, somebody has to do them. It's rather insensitive and selfish to be asking you, so if you don't want to say anything, I understand."

Naruto continued to look at Tenten, this time with a rather curious eye. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Tenten, Naruto spoke.

"Death is… peaceful. It's a feeling that you belong, that nothing can hurt you. The afterlife… is a nice place; it's a place I can spend an eternity in."

"Oh… thank you…"

After a moment of silence, Tenten stood up.

"Well, you can stay here longer if you want; I think it's time for me to head back to the others."

With that, she walked off into the distance as Naruto's eyes followed her, subconsciously drifting down to watch her swaying hips and her shapely-

"DON'T YOU DARE STARE AT MY ASS, YOU STUPID HENTAI!"

'_Damn.'_

Naruto whirled around, red-faced at nearly being caught. It wouldn't be a good thing if Tenten beat him to death before he could face Kyuubi.

'_She's scarier than Tsunade-baachan… but she has a kinder side as well.'_


	5. Training with Tenten

Chapter 5: Training with Tenten

"YOU'RE LATE!"

"CRAP! I'M SORRY, TENTEN! I JUST-"

"NO EXCUSES! PREPARE FOR YOUR PUNISHMENT!"

"Umm…"

"YOUR TRAINING STARTS NOW!"

Tenten summoned a pair of kunai and hurled them at the blond, who jumped to the side to avoid the kunai.

"DID I SAY YOU COULD DODGE THEM? BLOCK THEM ALL WITH YOUR ZANBATO!"

'_I am so fucked right now'_

An hour later, Naruto flopped to the ground, panting. His zanbato disappeared as he tucked the hilt away.

"So, it looks like you've finished warming up. Good, we're going to start with the fundamentals. Give me 3000 strikes in each cardinal and intermediate direction with only your right arm. If you break your form, start back at zero."

"EHH?"

"Make that 5000."

Without another word, Naruto picked up his sword and started on his first of 5000 vertical slashes. Occasionally, Tenten would spot a flaw in Naruto's stroke and point it out, whereupon Naruto would fix his mistake and reset his swing count.

Tenten watched as Naruto continued through the progression, never skipping steps or failing to recount after a missed swing. She was amazed at the speed with which his body was able to adapt to suggestions and corrections to his form. With a start, she realized that his sloppy technique was not due to the inability to learn, but rather the lack of instructors for the blond as a child.

'_The fact that he even made it through the Academy was probably a miracle. It's scary imagining how strong he would be if someone had taken an early interest in him.'_

She was roused from her musings when a sweaty Naruto walked over to her.

A sweaty and shirtless Naruto.

"Hey, Tenten-chan, I finished. What's next?"

'_Tenten-chan? Nobody calls me that, so why is Naruto-kun calling me Tenten-chan… shit… I just called him Naruto-kun… it's not like we really know each other. I'm just helping him so he doesn't get himself killed again. Yeah, that's it. It has nothing to do with those rippling muscles on his arms and the well-toned chest leading to his rock-hard abs… totally unrelated…'_

"Erm, Tenten? Your nose is bleeding."

Tenten quickly wiped her nose, turning her head to hide her blush from the grinning Naruto.

"S-S-SHUT UP!"

Naruto's stomach growled, catching Tenten's attention and causing Naruto to rub the back of his head in embarrassment.

"How does lunch sound to you? It'd be my treat, since you're taking your time to help me out."

"Fine, but we aren't eating ramen. I can't stand that stuff, and everybody knows about your legendary appetite for ramen."

"But Tenten, ramen is god's gift to man!"

Kami sneezed, spilling some broth from her cup noodles.

'_Damn you, Naruto!'_

Tenten wasn't amused, but she finally gave in to Naruto's pout. With a shout of glee, Naruto grabbed Tenten's arm and raced off to Ichiraku's, ignoring Tenten's cries to slow the fuck down.

Finally, Naruto dragged an exhausted Tenten into the ramen stand and plopped down into one of the stools before heartily calling out for a bowl of miso ramen. Tenten called for barbeque pork ramen, and Naruto raised an eyebrow; Tenten noticed this and scowled.

"What? Never seen a girl eat a full meal before?"

Naruto shook his head. Sakura and Ino had always been on diets, and Hinata was always unconscious. As far as Naruto was concerned, girls didn't eat at all.

A couple of bowls were placed in front of Naruto and Tenten. Naruto immediately began to inhale his meal, but he watched Tenten out of the corner of his eye. The bun-haired kunoichi cautiously placed a mouthful of noodles in her mouth and chewed it for a while. After she swallowed her first bite, a small smile formed on her lips.

Naruto watched as Tenten started eating faster and faster, smacking her lips eagerly after swallowing a hearty mouthful of noodles. After clacking the bowl on the counter, Tenten looked over at a slack-jawed Naruto.

"What? Is there something on my face?"

Naruto shook his head.

"I'm just a bit surprised that you finished that so quickly."

A tick mark developed over Tenten's head.

"So, you think that because I'm a woman, I can't eat as much as I want?"

'_Crap'_

"It's on, Naruto! I challenge you to an eating contest. Whoever eats the most bowls in forty minutes wins."

With that, the pair began to scarf down the ramen, throwing aside all pretenses of decorum. Teuchi and Ayame watched wide-eyed as Naruto was closely matched during the contest. The ramen makers smirked; Naruto and Tenten were perfect for each other, even if they didn't know it themselves yet.

When time was called, Tenten put down her twelfth bowl with a sigh. She heard Naruto snicker and looked over to see Naruto proudly seated beside a stack of fourteen ramen bowls.

"HA! I AM THE MASTER OF RAMEN! NOBODY CAN DEFEAT ME! TAKE THAT, SUCKER!"

Tenten merely glanced at Naruto. Although her face remained impassive on the outside, Naruto was able to sense a hidden malice that promised pain during their afternoon training.

"Well, it's about time we head back, right Naruto?"

Tenten's tone left no room for argument, so Naruto slowly followed behind Tenten, dreading whatever it was that she had in mind.

When Naruto and Tenten returned to the training ground, Tenten stopped Naruto before he could draw out his zanbato.

"Now it's time to hone your reflexes. I will be throwing kunai at you, and you will have to dodge them all. We will continue until I say so, no matter if you are conscious or not."

She drew a circle in the ground with a katana that had appeared out of nowhere.

"If you leave the circle, I will start using kunai with exploding tags. Got it?"

Naruto gulped and nodded. Training with Tenten wasn't very fun.

As Naruto continued to dodge projectiles thrown by Tenten, he couldn't stop ogling the weapons mistress in between barrages. She was a beautiful kunoichi- elegant and dangerous, especially when she was throwing sharp pointy objects with explosive tags attached. Speaking of which-

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT, PERVERT?"

Finally, Tenten decided to call it quits, so she began recovering all of her kunai and shuriken scattered around the training grounds. She was surprised to see Naruto helping her to pick up her weapons.

'_Neji and Lee never offered to help me pick up my stuff after training once. Uzumaki, no, Namikaze Naruto, you are truly one of a kind.'_

After Tenten finished sealing her weapons back into her scrolls, she turned to Naruto with a smile on her face.

"Well, it looks like we're done for today. After you get a good enough feel for your zanbato, we'll work on your wakizashi. Normally, I'd teach you some zanbato kata, but they'll become useless when you attach your wakizashi to it. Once you can easily wield both blades, we'll work on creating same kata of your own."

"Wait, we?"

Tenten suppressed a slight blush.

"Well, someone needs to make sure you're doing things right. It would be a pity if you swung those beautiful swords like a complete idiot."

"Hmph. I'll master both swords in a week!"

Tenten snorted.

"Naruto, it takes years to master just one sword. You really think you can master two swords in a week?"

"Uhh…"

"Tell you what, if you can impress me with your swordsmanship in two weeks, I'll go out on a date with you. If you can't, you have to be my servant for a week. I'll still train with you, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Deal!"

With that, Tenten turned to walk back to her apartment and saw Naruto walking by her side.

"W-w-w-what are you doing?"

"I'm walking you home, of course. I'd feel bad if something happened to you on the way."

The pair walked in silence all the way to Tenten's apartment. When they reached the apartment, Tenten turned around.

"Same time, same place tomorrow?"

"Sure."

The following day, Tenten arrived at the training field to see Naruto already swinging his zanbato around. After just one day of supervised training, Naruto's form had already dramatically improved. She tiptoed behind Naruto, hoping to catch him off guard, but was surprised to come face to face with the sharp end of his zanbato.

"…"

"Ahh… sorry about that Tenten, didn't see you there."

"Don't worry about it. So, are you ready for some more training?"

Naruto nodded eagerly, and Tenten unsealed a katana from her weapons scroll.

"We're going to spar then. Don't let your guard down."

Tenten leapt towards Naruto and the two commenced a deadly swords dance. At first, Tenten was able to deftly weave in and out of Naruto's guard to slap the blond around a bit. However, as the spar went on, Naruto seemed to adjust to Tenten's pace, tightening his guard and pushing Tenten backwards.

'_He learns so quickly. Each time I try something new, he finds a way to counter it the next time.'_

Tenten jumped over a low slash and cut toward his face with a horizontal slash. Naruto bent over backwards, surprising her. With a loud thud, he slammed the hilt of his zanbato into Tenten's stomach, leaving her gasping for breath.

"So, what do you think? Pretty good, huh?"

"You've improved, Naruto. Take out your wakizashi and I'll start teaching you how to use it."

Naruto's stomach rumbled angrily, and Tenten giggled while Naruto blushed in embarrassment.

"Erm… how does lunch sound?"

"Sure, but I get to pick the place this time."

Naruto allowed himself to be taken to a popular sushi restaurant, praying that Tenten would exercise restraint during the meal. He saw Tenten eagerly wiping some drool from the corner of her mouth in eager anticipation of the meal and paled.

When they arrived at the restaurant, Tenten was somewhat dismayed to see that the restaurant was completely full.

"Hey, Tenten, why don't we just go eat ramen instead?"

"…"

"It'll take too long, and I'm hungry."

"…"

"Tenten…"

"NAMIKAZE NARUTO, WE ARE EATING AT THIS RESTAURANT WHETHER YOU WANT TO OR NOT!"

Tenten's shout attracted the attention of those in the immediate vicinity. Whispers sprang up throughout the restaurant.

"Did she just say Naruto?"

"The Namikaze Naruto?"

"Ugh, if he's eating here, I don't want to. Let's leave."

"He's kinda cute. I wonder if I should ask him out on a date."

"Why is he here?"

"He looks just like his father."

"Hmph, I refuse to eat in the same place as the brat."

"Who's that girl he's with?"

"It's kind of scary."

"Hmph, that slut better leave the brat if she knows what's good for-"

The last man's sentence was cut short when Naruto's fist closed around his throat, constricting the man's windpipe.

"DON'T EVER CALL TENTEN THAT, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!"

The man spat at Naruto.

"Only a slut would want to be with trash like you. You may have people here fooled, but I know what you're thinking. You're just waiting for the right time. Take your little whore and leave Konoha."

"…"

With his hand still clenched around the man's throat, Naruto raised the man to eye level and stared deep into the man's eyes. The man gasped as he peered into Naruto's eyes. Visions of a wretched childhood flashed through the man's mind. Overwhelming loneliness and sadness flooded the man, who went limp in Naruto's grasp.

Naruto let go of the man's throat, allowing the villager to slide to the floor.

Naruto bared his teeth and snarled.

"I don't care what you say about me, but if you threaten one of my precious people, YOU WILL PAY!"

Naruto turned to Tenten with a small smile on his face.

"Well, it looks like a few spots have opened up. Shall we?"

Naruto led Tenten to an open booth, where they were immediately attended to by a waiter. After hastily placing their orders, the two sat across from each other in silence, neither wanting to be the first to speak up. Finally, Tenten decided to speak up.

"Umm, thanks for standing up for me."

"Haha, no problem. I'm, well, used to it."

"Did this sort of thing happen a lot back then?"

Naruto nodded and Tenten fell silent.

'_Konoha really fucked this up, ostracizing the shinobi with the most potential over something out of his control.'_

"Naruto, I'm sorry."

Naruto cocked his head.

"Huh?"

"I ignored and looked down on you during our academy years. Even during the chuunin exams, both during the preliminaries and the finals, I never thought that you stood a chance, but you proved me wrong both times. I thought of you as a dead last, but instead, you're proved to be better than all of us. I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you back then as a friend."

A glint momentarily appeared in Naruto's eyes as Tenten hung her head in shame. She was surprised when she felt Naruto's hand under her chin, gently lifting her head back up.

"Tenten, what happened in the past is over. Why don't we put all of this behind us? So what do you say, friends?"

Tenten took the proffered hand.

"Naruto… thank you."

By then, their sushi had arrived, so the pair dug in relish. The meal passed by, in silence until Tenten swallowed her bite and asked a question that had been bothering her for a while.

"Hey Naruto, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, but since I'm feeling nice, you can ask another one."

Naruto flashed a toothy grin while Tenten resisted the urge to smack the blond upside the head.

"Hmph. Anyways, I was just wondering. Where did you get those swords?"

Naruto smiled, and a mysterious light twinkled in his eyes

"Kami and Yami made them for me."

Tenten was inclined to call him a liar right then and there, but she realized that she was talking to someone who had died and was resurrected. What's to say that a little divine intervention hadn't played a role?

"Well, that's sort of hard to believe. You aren't pulling my leg, are you?"

Instead of responding, Naruto simply leaned his head back with his arm folded behind his head.

As they continued their meal, Tenten became more and more aware of the stares that they were receiving, mostly jealous glares from the females in the restaurant.

Tenten had never spent much time following the latest fashion trends that some of the other village girls and kunoichi obsessed over. Her intense training made dieting unnecessary. Her clothing was modeled after pictures of her mother that she had. Apart from basic soap and shampoo, she didn't spend much time on skin and hair care, but she liked her hair, and her skin was soft and silky. Indeed, her only concession to her vanity was the medical jutsu she used on her hands to keep them soft and supple after a day of hard training.

Still, it stroked her vanity to see the other girls jealous of her date.

'_Date? This isn't a date! We're just eating lunch together as friends. I don't know what's gotten their panties in a bunch. Still, going on a date with Naruto wouldn't be that bad, and I promised I'd take him on a date if he's impressive enough with his swords, and with the way he's improving, he just might do it.'_

Tenten flushed bright red at the thought of dating Naruto. Naruto noticed this and was immediately lost in his thoughts.

'_She's really cute when she blushes like that. Wonder what she's thinking about, maybe me? Ha, as if. Still, it would be nice to get to know her better.'_

Naruto decided to mess with Tenten a bit. Placing a hand on her forehead, he leaned forward and peered into Tenten's eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?"

Tenten felt the killing intent leaking from the girls in the vicinity before giving an "EEP!" of surprise and pushing Naruto back into his seat.

"W-W-W-What are you doing? Don't scare me like that!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and chuckled in a placating manner.

"Ahh, sorry about that Tenten."

Tenten regained her composure quickly and glared at the blond, who gulped. Whenever Tenten looked at him like that, it meant that a painful training session would be coming up.

"I'm full, Naruto. Why don't you pay the bill, and then we'll go back to the training field and train for a bit?"

Naruto, who had stood toe-to-toe with the Kyuubi no Youko, nodded and went to call for the bill. Tenten was not an opponent to be messed with.

When they returned to the training field, Tenten told Naruto to pull out his wakizashi. After he complied, Tenten put Naruto through the paces, having Naruto practicing cuts and slashes with the wakizashi in his left hand.

Once again, Tenten was amazed at the ease with which Naruto seemed to absorb her teachings. Indeed, working with the zanbato seemed to help develop an innate sense for swordsmanship. Soon, he was deftly wielding the wakizashi, cutting through the air with crisp strikes. Tenten clapped her hands to get his attention.

"Okay, looks good. Now, try using both swords in tandem."

Naruto nodded and took out the zanbato hilt. Once the blade phased into existence, a black and white chain burst from both hilts. The chains linked together, effectively connecting the two swords. Tenten watched the weapons with stars in her eyes, a bit jealous that Naruto would be able to use such a marvelous weapon.

Naruto began leaping about, swinging the zanbato in wide arcs while using the wakizashi to take quick slices in the air. The dark and light blurs seemed to fuse together as Naruto continued to practice with his swords.

'_Not bad, this feels a lot smoother than it did during my fight with Hiashi. Tenten's really done a great job teaching me. She really does have a nice side underneath her scary exterior.'_

Naruto's lapse in concentration resulted in the chain tangling his feet, causing him to trip and fall on his face. Tenten snickered while Naruto glared at the weapons mistress.

"Hmph. What's so funny, huh?"

"Oh man, that was so funny. You were doing fine, but then you suddenly zoned out. You didn't notice the chain and you tripped over your own weapon. Haha, that's one way to incapacitate your enemy."

Naruto scowled, and Tenten teasingly stuck her tongue out.

"YOSH! TENTEN, IT IS TIME FOR US TO LIGHT OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

"Fuzzy-brows!"

"Lee! What the hell are you doing here?"

"AHH, MY YOUTHFUL TEAMMATE! OUR MOST YOUTHFUL HOKAGE HAS GIVEN US A MISSION SO THAT WE MAY TEST OUR FLAMES OF YOUTH! GAI-SENSEI HAS ASKED ME TO FIND YOU WHILE HE GOES TO FIND OUR UNYOUTHFUL TEAMMATE!"

Tenten sighed. Why couldn't her teammate be more normal? She turned to Naruto.

"Well, it looks like we have to cut this training session short. When I get back, you better have improved, understand?"

Naruto grinned and pumped a fist in the air.

"Of course I will. Just be ready to be amazed!"

"Sure, sure. Anyways, I'm going to head off now, so I'll see you later."

"Yeah… Tenten?"

"What's up?"

"Stay safe, okay?"

Normally, Tenten would've scoffed and walked away, but there was something in Naruto's voice that made her pause and turn around with a soft smile.

"You bet, Naruto."

With that, Tenten headed off with Lee on their mission while Naruto continued to train with his swords.

Over in Otogakure, Orochimaru was finalizing plans to invade Konoha and secure Uchiha Sasuke if possible. After being thwarted a year ago partly due the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's intervention, Orochimaru was forced to transfer to another body, much to the Sannin's ire.

Since then, he had worked tirelessly to assemble a shinobi army powerful enough to invade and crush Konoha. The spies that he had planted in Konoha had returned with valuable data regarding Konoha's forces and defense. With this data, Orochimaru began formulating a plan to completely destroy Konoha.

This time, Uzumaki Naruto would not stand in his way. He had heard from his spies that Danzo had executed the Kyuubi brat, so the boy was no longer a concern for Orochimaru. Not that Naruto would've been able to stop Orochimaru anyways.

'_Soon I will burn Konoha to the ground, as well as all of its pathetic inhabitants.'_

Kabuto walked up from behind.

"Orochimaru-sama, what is the plan of action?"

"Ahh, Kabuto. I was thinking that you and I should pay a visit to Konoha to see how it's doing. Just a bit of reconnaissance work, but we might come across some shinobi along the way."

"Very well, Orochimaru-sama."

With that, the Snake Sannin and his apprentice took off towards Konoha.

The next several days passed by without much incident for Naruto. To his relief, Team 7 was nowhere to be seen, but he was surprisingly disturbed by the lack of Tenten's presence. During the few days that he had spent with the bun-haired kunoichi, Naruto had developed a certain comfort around Tenten. Now that she was gone, there was something missing during his training sessions, and it wasn't just the constant barrage of kunai or the flurry of katana strikes aimed at his head.

Regardless, Naruto was proud of the progress that he had made with his blade work. When Tenten got back from her mission, he was going to charm her pants off.

He blinked and blushed. He didn't mean it that way, but the thought was enticing for some reason.

Naruto was roused from his musings when a chuunin walked up.

"Hokage-sama requests your presence immediately."

With a sigh, Naruto stashed his swords away and set off to Tsunade's office.

Fifteen minutes later, Naruto was hurtling out of Konoha at top speed. According to Tsunade, Gai and his team had run into some sort of trouble on their way back and requested immediate backup. Since the message was hurried, Tsunade was unsure of the danger and urgency of the situation, so she sent Naruto out to investigate and provide support if necessary. As he ran, Naruto tried to settle the uneasy feeling in his stomach.

'_Something's wrong… I can feel it.'_

The sounds of clashing steel urged Naruto faster, and after bursting through into a clearing, Naruto stumbled onto the scene of the battle. He saw Lee and Neji fighting Kabuto while Orochimaru battled Tenten and Gai. Just as Naruto entered, Orochimaru caught Tenten off guard with a vicious kick to the side. Gai immediately moved to cover his student, but was cut off by Orochimaru, who sank his fist into Gai's stomach.

Naruto's loud cry rang through the area.

"OROCHIMARU-TEME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Orochimaru turned and stared at the blond with wide eyes as if he was seeing a ghost before him.

"Minato-kun?"


	6. Fights and Dates

Chapter 6: Fights and Dates

'_Something's wrong… I can feel it.'_

The sounds of clashing steel urged Naruto faster, and after bursting through into a clearing, Naruto stumbled onto the scene of the battle. He saw Lee and Neji fighting Kabuto while Orochimaru battled Tenten and Gai. Just as Naruto entered, Orochimaru caught Tenten off guard with a vicious kick to the side. Gai immediately moved to cover his student, but was cut off by Orochimaru, who sank his fist into Gai's stomach.

Naruto's loud cry rang through the area.

"OROCHIMARU-TEME! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Orochimaru turned and stared at the blond with wide eyes as if he was seeing a ghost before him.

"Minato-kun?"

Naruto smirked at the slightly delusional Snake Sannin.

"Not quite right, Oro-chan. I'm his son, Namikaze Naruto."

All of the pieces clicked into place for Orochimaru.

"YOU! I thought you were executed! How are you alive?"

Naruto ignored him and instead walked over to the unconscious Tenten. After verifying that she was fine, Naruto moved to check Gai's condition.

Naruto finally turned to face the irate Sannin and the two locked eyes.

"Did you just say that you were Minato-kun's son?"

"That's right, teme. What's that to you?"

Orochimaru fell silent, remembering the time when he and the other Sannin were to pick apprentices from the academy students. As the leader of the three, Orochimaru had the implicit first pick among the group, and he had picked Mitarashi Anko, undisputed rookie of the year. Tsunade found Shizune, already known for her perfect chakra control. However, everybody was surprised when Jiraiya picked Namikaze Minato, the class clown. Minato wasn't necessarily a failure as a shinobi, but he wasn't considered a prodigy in any sense. Instead, he was often found playing pranks on the village, and according to the rumors, he was a regular peeper at the hot springs, although he had never been caught.

Orochimaru had taunted Jiraiya and Minato, claiming that the duo would never accomplish anything, inferior to the other two pairs. However, Orochimaru watched as Minato flourished under Jiraiya's tutelage in amazement. Where did this child, who had not shown any potential as a student, find such strength? It was like watching Jiraiya grow up all over again. Orochimaru had to know.

Whenever he tried talking to Minato, the blond would always stick his tongue out and run away, further infuriating the Snake Sannin. However, his previous latent skill was undeniable, from his impressive chakra capacity to his affinity for creating new seals and jutsu. If only he had chosen differently that day.

When Orochimaru received word of Minato's sacrifice, he filed that information to the back of his mind. When he saw Naruto in the forest of death all those years later, he never imagined that the blond who had tried to interfere with his plans to mark Sasuke carried a deeper connection with Minato and the Kyuubi.

Standing in front of Minato's son, Orochimaru felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at the blond. The resemblance was painstakingly obvious now, and Orochimaru was mentally kicking himself for not paying closer attention to the blond back then. He watched, fascinated as Naruto pulled out two bladeless hilts. His eyes widened when the two blades materialized, and a chain appeared to link the two hilts together.

'_A blade of material chakra?'_

Naruto charged forward, sweeping the zanbato in a wide circle. Orochimaru stood still, as if in shock, and the blade sliced straight through the Snake Sannin, who dissolved into mud.

'_Tch, mud clone'_

Naruto whirled around and raised his wakizashi to block Orochimaru's Kusanagi. The two shinobi struggled for the advantage, the hard black of Naruto's wakizashi pressing against the cold steel of Orochimaru's Kusanagi. Trying to catch Orochimaru off guard, Naruto swung the zanbato from Orochimaru's blind side.

Using his flexible body, Orochimaru slipped around blade and wrapped his neck around Naruto's body. Before Orochimaru could bite Naruto, a chain wrapped around Orochimaru's neck. Naruto quickly slashed his wakizashi across Orochimaru's throat. Naruto wasn't surprised to see Orochimaru once again turn into mud and slop around his feet.

Orochimaru chuckled.

"Well, it seems as you have more skill this time around, Naruto-kun. I must insist that we get serious about this now."

With that, the two shinobi rushed forward once more.

Nearby, Kabuto was engaged in battle with Neji and Lee. The two sides were at a standstill, neither able to gain the definite upper hand. Whenever Neji or Lee would manage to land a strike, Kabuto would use his inhuman healing to recover. Lee was too agile for Kabuto, and Neji would always counter with the Kaiten whenever Kabuto tried to get too close.

"Heh, you two are pretty good for genin."

"What about you? You were a candidate at the chuunin exams!"

"Kukuku… I am actually a spy for Orochimaru-sama. That's all you need to know."

"HOW DARE YOU SULLY THE FLAMES OF KONOHA WITH YOUR UNYOUTHFUL BEHAVIOR! NEJI, WE MUST TEACH THIS TRAITOR A LESSON!"

Neji nodded, and the two charged forward with renewed vigor and energy. Soon, Kabuto was struggling to simply keep his guard up against the dual onslaught. The two fought with opposite styles, yet they fought in perfect harmony, Lee's hard strikes attempting to pry Kabuto's defense open for a jyuuken strike from Neji.

Kabuto blocked a kick from Lee and skipped back from Neji's palm thrust.

"Tch, this is harder than I thought it would be. Nevertheless, this is the end. Prepare yourselves, cute little genin."

Kabuto reactivated his chakra scalpels and, to Neji's surprise, rushed straight towards the Byakugan user.

'_What is he thinking? Everybody knows that charging a Byakugan user is suicide.'_

As he activated his Kaiten to repel the attack, Neji was surprised to see Kabuto smirk. Before Neji could complete the chakra rotation, Kabuto stuck a chakra scalpel into the absolute defense.

'_What's this? The presence of his chakra is disturbing my own flow of chakra. By sending chakra pulses through that scalpel, he's starting to overload my Kaiten. Crap, if this keeps up, I'll lose control…'_

The explosion that resulted blew Neji and Kabuto apart, sending the two flying back. Neji lay still, stunned by the blow, but Kabuto slowly stood up and sneered at the Hyuuga prodigy.

"For what you did to Neji… I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!"

"Ehh? Is that so? What are you going to do about it?"

"Gai-sensei… I'm sorry, but I must do this to protect an important friend. I cannot afford to lose here- I MUST UPHOLD MY NINDO!"

"**FIRST GATE: KAIMON, KAI!"**

"**SECOND GATE: KYUMON, KAI!"**

"**THIRD GATE: SEIMON, KAI!"**

"**FOURTH GATE: SHOMON, KAI!"**

"**FIFTH GATE: TOMON, KAI!"**

'Oh, green spandex can open five of the celestial gates now? That wasn't on my nin-info cards. This should be interesting.'

"Let's see what you have, boy."

In a blur, Lee shot forward and punched Kabuto in the face. Before Kabuto could recover, Lee was already in position with an upwards kick.

**URA RENGE!**

Lee unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches, further sending Kabuto skyward. He finished the devastating combo with a strike from above with an arm and a foot, sending Kabuto crashing to the ground. Panting, Lee landed on the ground.

"I did it, Gai-sensei."

Before Lee passed out from pain and exhaustion, he saw Kabuto slowly stand back up.

"How… is that… possible?"

Kabuto painfully made his way over to Lee and pulled out a kunai.

"You surprised me with your last move, but it looks as if you can no longer stand up."

Before Kabuto could deliver the finishing blow, Orochimaru's raspy voice called out.

"Kabuto, come here quickly."

Kabuto sneered at the fallen green-clad shinobi before rushing off to rejoin Orochimaru.

"Well, it looks as if you get to live to see another day, brat."

Kabuto then rushed off to rejoin his master.

As Orochimaru threw jutsu after jutsu, he screamed out in frustration.

"Why? Why can't I kill you?"

"Orochimaru, no matter how many jutsu you learn, no matter how many battles you may fight, you will never be able to defeat me. Know this, Orochimaru: as long as you continue on this path of chaos and destruction, you will never discover the true meaning of strength!"

'_The true meaning of strength, huh? Is this the same nonsense that Jiraiya and Minato-kun have been talking about all this time? It doesn't matter. I'll show this brat his place now.'_

Orochimaru once again coughed up his Kusanagi blade and took up his fighting stance. Across from him, Naruto stood still, silently regarding his opponent.

A light breeze rustled through the area as the two shinobi continued to stare at each other. A resounding explosion from the direction of Kabuto, Lee and Neji's battle jarred the two into action.

Meanwhile, Tenten had just woken up from the kick that Orochimaru had given her earlier. She blinked as her vision slowly came into focus.

'_Is that Naruto? What is he doing here?'_

Tenten watched as Naruto fought Orochimaru, wielding his two blades deftly. She tried to stand up and help Naruto, but found that her muscles would not respond.

'_Did the bastard hit me with a paralyzing agent? Damn it. At least Gai-sensei looks fine as well.'_

Indeed, the Green Beast was slumped over against a tree, unable to move, but otherwise okay. Tenten turned her attention back to the fight. She watched as Naruto matched pace with Orochimaru's skilled swordsmanship. While Naruto was still outmatched in terms of technique and skill, Naruto's superior speed and strength over Orochimaru evened the balance between the two fighters.

Still, Tenten was amazed at the improvement that Naruto had shown over the time they had not seen each other. His cuts were sharper than ever and smoothly transitioned from one attack to the next. Even when pressed hard by the Snake Sannin, Naruto's guard never faltered.

"TENTEN!"

Tenten watched in horror as Orochimaru's tongue, with Kusanagi in its grip, darted towards her and closed her eyes.

Frustrated at his lack success against the blond, Orochimaru decided to resort to his normal underhanded methods. During the entire fight, Orochimaru had seen Naruto throwing sidelong glances towards the fallen kunoichi, showing his clear concern for her condition. Every time Orochimaru angled the fight towards her, Naruto would position himself and counter so as to redirect the flow of battle away from Tenten.

'_Let's see how far this hidden strength of yours will take you.'_

With that, Orochimaru pushed Naruto aside and aimed to attack Tenten instead.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Tenten felt something wet and warm dripping onto her cheek and opened her eyes to see a panting Naruto hunched over her, blood dribbling out of his mouth. That was when she noticed the Kusanagi blade protruding from Naruto's stomach.

"N-n-n-naruto, you…"

Naruto coughed, spraying blood on the front of Tenten's shirt.

"Tenten… you're safe… I was worried for a moment..."

Tenten looked into Naruto's eyes and gasped. He pulled the sword out of his body and stood up once more, facing the Snake Sannin.

"Hn? What happened to your super healing? Does that mean that you no longer contain the Kyuubi?"

"Shut the hell up, bastard!"

"Oh? And how are going to make me with that injury? You can barely stand on your feet, and yet you think that you can beat me?"

"It's not complete yet… but nevertheless, I must try it."

Naruto sheathed his zanbato and raised the sable wakizashi straight in the air. He traced a full circle in the air before pointing the tip at Orochimaru. After taking a deep breath, Naruto swung the wakizashi in a slow arc, which Orochimaru easily blocked. To his surprise, Naruto smirked.

**Demon Technique: Shadow Blade**

Orochimaru gurgled in surprise as a second blade materialized through his chest. Naruto stumbled back, clutching at his chest. Desperately, the Snake Sannin called out for his henchman.

"Kabuto, come here quickly."

A ragged Kabuto instantly appeared at Orochimaru's side. After a start of surprise upon seeing Naruto, he turned to Orochimaru.

"What is it, my Lord?"

"Take me back. We need to change our plans, and I need you to heal me."

"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama."

With that, Kabuto and Orochimaru left the field, leaving the Konoha nin alone once more. Almost immediately, Naruto collapsed to the ground, unconscious. The next several minutes passed excruciatingly for Tenten as she struggled to regain her motor functions. Finally, she was able to slowly make her way to Naruto, where she checked his vitals. Gai crawled over to her side.

"Is he all right?"

Tenten nodded and began applying a basic medical jutsu.

"You keep working on Naruto, and I'll go get Lee and Neji."

Minutes later, Gai brought back an unconscious Lee and Neji and gently laid the two on the ground.

"Well, my youthful teammate, we must hurry and get these three back to Konoha for treatment."

Tenten nodded, deciding to ignore the rambling of her sensei.

"Well, I'll take Neji and Naruto, while you take Lee."

Tenten snarled and hoisted Naruto over her shoulders. Gai shed manly tears.

"Ahh, it seems as if our youthful blossom has discovered her flames of youth! Continue forth, my dear pupil! Gai-sensei shall support you the whole way!"

Tenten remembered that she was carrying a critically injured shinobi on her shoulders, so she decided to not to attack her sensei. Instead, she shifted Naruto into a more comfortable position before heading off to Konoha.

As they made their way back, Tenten couldn't stop thinking about the look in Naruto's eyes when he had saved her. In his eyes, she saw a deep fear- the fear of losing a comrade, a companion, a friend. In that brief glance, Tenten saw the loneliness of the blond's life and the desperation with which he fought to forge and strengthen the bonds with his friends.

'_You truly were alone back then, Naruto, but I swear that things will be different this time.'_

Naruto shifted on Tenten's shoulders, rousing the weapons mistress from her musings.

"Gotta protect Ten-chan…"

His voice barely came out as a whisper, but Tenten heard them clearly. She flushed bright red and was about to drop the blond to yell at him for embarrassing her when she felt Naruto burrow deeper into her neck, obviously still unconscious.

'_So even when he's unconscious, he's thinking of others. I guess I'll let him get away with it this time…'_

Gai looked over and saw Tenten's flushed face.

"Tenten! Are you feeling sick? Are your flames of youth starting to die down? YOSH! LET US PICK UP OUR PACE! IF I CANNOT MAKE IT BACK TO KONOHA IN FIVE MINUTES, I SHALL-"

"SENSEI! SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Naruto woke with a start and looked around. Everything was white. Damn, that meant that he was in the hospital. Sure enough, Tsunade was instantly at his side, running a diagnostic jutsu.

"Hey there, Baachan!"

A tick mark grew over Tsunade's head.

"Brat! I worry about you from the moment you get back, and you call me old? I'm going to kick your ass as soon as you get out of here."

"Bring it, you old hag!"

The two blonds stared each other down for a full minute, until Tsunade leaned forward and enveloped Naruto in a big hug.

"Don't ever scare me like that again, Naruto. When I saw you come back with that wound in your stomach… I was afraid that I had lost you again."

Naruto patted Tsunade's back comfortingly.

"Whoa! I didn't know you were into older women, Naruto! And Tsunade, are you trying to rob the cradle?"

Tsunade flushed a slight shade of crimson before sending Jiraiya flying to Suna with a chakra-enhanced punch. Naruto chuckled slightly.

"Man… I missed seeing that. Where has the stupid pervert been all this time?"

"Naruto, Jiraiya has been… unstable ever since that day. I think he blames himself for not taking you in when you were a child. Seeing you again probably brought back the old Jiraiya a bit, so I sort of acted on impulse. Promise me that when you see him you'll talk to him, okay?"

Naruto nodded, and Tsunade stood up once more.

"Well, it looks like you're doing just fine in recovery. I guess not having Kyuubi anymore means that you have to spend time in the hospital just like the rest of us."

Naruto stared blankly at Tsunade, who immediately tried to correct herself.

"I-I-I didn't mean it that way, Naruto!"

The former jinchuuriki slowly nodded and Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyways, now that you're awake, I think there are a few people who want to see you."

The door slid open, and a throng of people rushed into the room.

"YOSH! IT APPEARS AS IF OUR YOUTHFUL SAVIOR HAS REKINDLED HIS FLAMES!"

"YES HE HAS, LEE!"

Tenten brained the two with a nearby bedpan.

Neji bowed down to Naruto.

"Thank you for your assistance, Naruto-sama. If there is any way to return the favor, please let me know."

"I bet you kicked that bastard's ass, right Akamaru?"

"Arf, arf!"

"Tch… troublesome."

"Hey, Naruto, wanna go get ramen later?"

"OI YOU TWO STUPID IDIOTS! WE'RE IN A HOSPITAL WITH A PATIENT AND THIS IS HOW YOU ACT? SHOW SOME MORE RESPECT AROUND HERE!"

Everyone else in the room sweat dropped at the irony and Ino looked away in embarrassment.

Eventually, Tsunade started to usher the visitors out of the room one by one. While that was happening, Hinata slowly approached Naruto.

"N-n-n-naruto-kun?"

"Yes, Hinata?"

Hinata looked down at the floor, fidgeting slightly.

"Naruto-kun, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry and that you were right. Can we be friends again?"

"Hinata-chan…"

"It may take time for you to forgive me, Naruto-kun, but please give me another chance."

She slowly turned around and headed towards the door.

"Hinata-chan… I forgave you before it ever happened."

With tears streaming from her lavender eyes, Hinata walked out of the room and back to the Hyuuga compound.

With a sigh, Naruto leaned back in the bed and closed his eyes.

The next day, Naruto woke up in the hospital. Judging from the amount of sunlight streaming in through the window, it seemed to be around noon. He looked at the nightstand, upon which a small piece of folded paper rested. He opened the piece of paper and began to read its contents.

_Naruto,_

_Meet me at the training field as soon as you wake up. If I catch you loitering around…_

_Tenten_

Naruto rushed off to their usual training ground. He didn't want to find out what Tenten would do to him if he didn't show up right away.

Two minutes later, Naruto was at the training ground, hunched over and panting heavily.

"Well, it's a good thing you decided to show up, Naruto. Otherwise, I would have made your day painful."

Slowly, Naruto caught his breath.

"So, what are we doing for training today?"

Tenten flushed red and mumbled something.

"Ehh? You say something, Tenten?"

Tenten clenched her fists and glared at Naruto.

"I SAID YOU WON YOUR BET WITH ME, SO YOU'RE TAKING ME ON A DATE!"

"Uhh…"

"…"

"Alright then, Tenten. How about I pick you up at your house at four?"

Tenten nodded and rushed off to prepare for her date.

Naruto watched as Tenten ran off with a smile on his face. As soon as Tenten disappeared from sight, a sudden realization hit him.

'_SHIT! What do people do on dates? Tenten will kill me if things go wrong… I need someone to teach me the right way to act…'_

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

Over at the academy, Iruka was grading papers during his lunch break when he felt a chill run up his spine. Something was telling him to run away and hide in a cold dark cave.


	7. Challenges

Chapter 7: Challenges

Iruka was at the academy, giving a lecture on the legacy of the Nidaime. Like usual, his students weren't paying much attention to his lectures. He ignored the whispers of his students and continued to list examples of the Nidaime's unparalleled affinity for water. As he continued to write, Iruka's mind wandered over to the topic of Naruto. He hadn't seen Naruto after his fight with Hiashi and the subsequent meeting afterwards, but the latest rumor throughout Konoha was that Naruto had managed to hold off Orochimaru single-handedly. He heard one of his students whisper Naruto's name, so he channeled some chakra to his ears and began to eavesdrop on his class.

"Did you hear what Naruto did the other day?"

"I heard he saved a kitty from a burning building at four in the morning."

"I heard he did that while fighting off enemy nin from Iwa."

"Man, Naruto's so cool."

"You think he'd go out with me if I asked him?"

"Baka, why would Naruto go out with a flat-chested whore like you?"

"Why you…"

Iruka sighed, it seemed as if Naruto's fangirl following was becoming more and more irritating as time went along. As he continued to trace the Nidaime's lineage leading to the Godaime, he heard a very familiar voice drift towards him from the window.

"Hey Iruka-sensei, your classes are still as boring as ever, huh?"

Iruka turned and saw Naruto climb through the window and into the class with a mischievous grin on his face. Iruka's head started to swell at an alarming rate, causing Naruto to back away nervously.

"NARUTOOOOO-"

The rest of Iruka's lecture was cut off by the squealing of the girls and the shouts of the boys in the classroom. Naruto faced the looks of admiration with an embarrassed grin, and he was immediately bombarded by questions from the class. Ignoring the excited shouts of his students, Iruka walked over to Naruto and whispered into his ear.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Ahh, that's right. Iruka-sensei, I need your help. I'm taking Tenten out on a date tonight…"

Iruka paled. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he tried to remember if he had ever given Naruto 'The Talk', but he couldn't recall any such time. Iruka then decided it was time Naruto learned about the fairer sex. Still, he figured, he might as well benefit from this by extracting some sort of deal from Naruto.

"Naruto, I'll teach you all that you need to know as long as you promise me one thing. Promise me that you won't lose your virginity before I do."

'_Virginity? What's that? Oh well, if that's what Iruka-sensei says…'_

"I swear it on my nindo."

Naruto punctuated this statement with a wide smile and a thumbs-up. Iruka sighed in relief. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the potential of his student getting laid before he did.

"First, why don't you talk with the class a bit? Class is almost over, but I'm sure they'd love to hear from you."

With that, Naruto began addressing the questions from the class. As he spoke to the class, Iruka watched on in pride. His class was totally focused on the blond shinobi, absorbing all of his words.

"Did you really bring Tsunade-sama back to Konoha?"

"Haha, so you heard about that? Well, after the Sand-Sound invasion, we needed a new Hokage to lead our village, and Tsunade-baachan was the only candidate for the job once Ero-sennin refused."

Seeing the confused looks on the students' faces, Naruto chuckled.

"Ahh, I call her Tsunade-baachan because she's old and I call Jiraiya 'Ero-sennin' because he's a pervert. Anyways, Ero-sennin decided to take me along to find Baachan, and on the way, he began to teach me one of the signature jutsu of my father. Eventually, we found her in a bar. When Ero-sennin offered the title of Hokage, Baachan refused to take the job. I got pissed at her, and we eventually fought. Actually, she kicked my ass with just one finger. However, we made a bet that day. If I could master the Rasengan within a week, Baachan would take the job and give me her necklace. If not, she would take all my money."

Naruto paused to take a breath, allowing his story to sink into the minds of the silent students.

"One week later, Ero-sennin and I found Tsunade fighting Orochimaru-teme and his henchman Kabuto. This was before Tsunade-baachan had gotten over her fear of blood, so Ero-sennin and Shizune-neechan had to jump in before things got too ugly. In the end, I managed to wound Kabuto with a completed Rasengan to the gut. When Orochimaru tried to kill me, I thought I was done for, but Tsunade-baachan saved my life by taking a sword through the chest."

Gasps could be heard throughout the classroom, but Naruto continued on.

"Tsunade-baachan was able to cast aside her fears and fight for something that was important to her. That's what true strength is. It isn't judged by how many jutsu you know, or by your chakra capacity and control. It's measured by the bonds that you hold with people you hold close to you. When you go out on missions, you'll find out what I mean."

He pulled out the Shodaime's necklace and held it up for the class to see. Tsunade had returned it to him while he was unconscious in the hospital, its familiar weight resting on his chest once again. Its presence brought a calming effect, serving as a reminder of the love and trust he shared with Tsunade.

"This necklace means much more to me than its worth at a jewelry store. I wear this around my neck, as a reminder of my promise to Tsunade to never give up and to fight for those I hold dear to me."

Naruto gently put the necklace back on while the academy students sat in silence, pondering his words. A low growl caught everyone's attention.

"Fight me."

A pale-eyed Hyuuga boy stood up and glared at the blond shinobi, leaking a small amount of killer intent. Those nearby slowly edged away, afraid of retaliation from Naruto. To everyone's surprise, Naruto laughed at the young Hyuuga.

"Oh? And what makes you think that you can take me on? Don't tell me you have a stick up your ass like Neji did. Do I have to beat that out of you?"

He disappeared in a blur and reappeared behind the young Hyuuga, holding his wakizashi to the trembling student's neck. The Hyuuga swallowed and clenched his fists tightly, and his voice came out in a faint whisper that only Naruto could hear.

"You hurt Hinata-neesama."

Naruto slowly withdrew the wakizashi and stared the Hyuuga in the eye.

"What is your name?"

"Hitoshi, Hyuuga Hitoshi."

"Very well, what does Hinata-chan mean to you?"

"Hinata-neesama has been a symbol of hope for the Hyuuga. Once she becomes the clan heir, the rift between the Main House and the Branch House can begin to heal. Her kindness and determination will carry the Hyuuga to a renewed prosperity."

"I see, but how about what she means to you personally?"

"Hinata-neesama was the first person to acknowledge my existence, not as a member of the Hyuuga clan, but as Hyuuga Hitoshi the person. I would do anything to protect her from anyone who tries to hurt her; that's why I must fight you."

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"And how exactly are you going to beat me?"

Hitoshi clenched his fists and trembled in anger. Naruto yanked the Hyuuga by the front of his shirt and brought him to eye level.

"Hitoshi, I like that fighting spirit, use that to protect Hinata-chan. However, I'm not someone who would ever try to hurt Hinata-chan—remember that."

Naruto let go of Hitoshi and walked back to the front of the classroom while the Hyuuga stared at him. After a moment, a red-faced girl asked the question that had been on the minds of all the kunoichi hopeful.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Immediately, the classroom went into an uproar. The girls in the classroom all squealed and bombarded Naruto with requests ranging from dates to marriage and sexual intercourse. Iruka sighed in exasperation.

'_We have to do something about these fangirls. It's funny, back when Naruto was in the Academy, he didn't have any fangirls, but now they're all going crazy over him.'_

Before armed warfare could break out, Naruto waved his hands to get attention. Almost instantly, the classroom fell silent. Naruto marveled at the power such a simple action seemed to have over the class.

'_Time to snap them out of their delusions.'_

"Ladies, the way you are right now, I promise you that you all would make the worst type of kunoichi."

A look of shock passed over all of the girls' faces, but Naruto continued on, heedless of their stunned expressions.

"The life of a shinobi is not something to be taken so lightly. When you're out on the battlefield, these things don't matter anymore. Fight for those you hold dear to you, but don't allow yourself to be blinded by your feelings. Remember, if you take up the Konoha hitai-ate and I find out that you betray Konoha for your own petty ambitions…" Naruto's eyes glinted dangerously and his voice deepened. "**I will be the first one to hunt you down.**"

The bell chimed, signaling the end of class. Still, the students were seated at their desks, transfixed. Slowly, Naruto's fierceness seemed to dissipate, to be replaced with his familiar grin.

"Well, what are you brats waiting for? Go on and get out of here!"

As the students shuffled out of the academy, Naruto turned to Iruka. Iruka could have sworn that Naruto's smile had a feral quality.

"Alright, Iruka-sensei. It's time for you to teach me how to date."

Iruka gulped.

"Why don't we head on over to my house, then?"

When they got there, after setting down two cups of tea, Iruka sat down at the kitchen table and looked over at the eager Naruto.

"So, you and Tenten, huh? When did that happen?"

Naruto sputtered and waved his hands in the air frantically.

"It's not like that, Iruka-sensei, seriously. She's been helping me learn some kenjutsu, so I'm taking her out to thank her. We're just going as friends, nothing more. But still, I don't really know what to do. I mean, I've never gone out with a girl before, so I was sort of hoping that you could give me some advice."

'_Shit, does Naruto seriously think that I can teach him anything about dating? It's not like I've been active on the dating scene.'_

"Well, Naruto, the first thing to remember is that when you first see her, you must complement her. It has to be real, because if she finds out that you're lying, she'll get angry at you."

Naruto nodded. Getting Tenten angry was definitely one of the last things he wanted to do, right up there with kissing Sasuke or being put in a yaoi novel with Iruka.

"Also, you have to be able to read her emotions. Women, especially kunoichi are capable of hiding their emotions, and keeping them happy is an important part of a successful date. Sometimes they'll say that they're happy, even when they want to do nothing other than rip you apart."

"Iruka-sensei? Why are they like that? I mean, if they were angry, why don't they just come out and say it?"

"Naruto, women are the biggest mysteries to us men. Many noble men have spent their whole lives trying to understand women. Jiraiya-sama of the Legendary Sannin is an example of this."

"HUH? Ero-sensei is nothing but a pervert!"

"Maybe Jiraiya-sama is not the best example for this, but I assure you that understanding the hearts of women is a challenge that we must all deal with at some point in our lives. Naruto, I wish you good luck."

Naruto sighed, wondering just what he had gotten himself into.

"I can tell you this: there are things that you and Tenten may do when you're out having fun, but may not be appropriate for dates."

Iruka noticed Naruto's look of confusion and decided to elaborate.

"That means no training and no ramen."

Naruto's eyes grew wide and Iruka chuckled in amusement.

"Don't worry about it too much, Naruto. The rewards for doing this will be well worth it."

"What do you mean, Iruka-sensei."

"Well, I was talking about the benefits at the end of the date."

"Benefits?"

"You know, stuff like hugs and kisses, or if you've been with her for a while…" Iruka's voice dropped down to a conspiratorial whisper, "sex."

Naruto was bright red when Iruka brought up hugging and kissing. He had always seen Tenten as very attractive, but he had never once thought of her that way. He pushed aside rather impure thoughts and asked a question that the rest of Iruka's words sparked.

"What's sex?"

Iruka nearly fainted.

'_Crap, I forgot that I'd probably have to give him The Talk. Still, it's kind of awkward, talking to Naruto about this. Now I know how Dad felt when he had to do this. Still, I guess I have to teach him.'_

Just as Iruka was about to explain, he was struck by divine inspiration. He'd just relegate the task to someone more qualified to teach Naruto.

"Well, Naruto, I'm probably not the best person to ask. Why don't you go ask Tsunade-sama?"

As Naruto flew out the door in the direction of the Hokage Tower, Iruka called out after him.

"DON'T FORGET OUR PROMISE, NARUTO!"

Tsunade was having a wonderful day in her office. She had finished all of the paperwork, the council was quiet, and she was enjoying a warm bottle of sake with Shizune. Nothing could go wrong. Nothing.

"Shizune, isn't this great? We're finally done with our work. Nothing can bother us."

"TSUNADE-BAAAAAAACHAN!"

'_Damn, what does the brat want this time.'_

"TEACH ME ABOUT SEX!"

Tsunade spat out the sake she was sipping and stared at the blond. She wasn't quite sure she heard him properly.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, Iruka-sensei said he couldn't teach me about sex, so I decided to come and ask you about it."

Shizune flushed a dark shade of red as she thought of the copy of The Dolphin and the Fox on her nightstand, while Tsunade wore a pensive look on her face.

'_Of course! Nobody has ever taught Naruto about girls, and given his natural naïveté, it isn't surprising for Naruto to not know about sex, even if he was the inventor of the __**Orioke no Jutsu**__.'_

She smirked, sending a slight chill down Naruto's spine.

"So, our little Naru-chan is ready to grow up now? Why don't you let Shizune and me teach you all you need to know…"

Naruto swallowed nervously as Tsunade started to lecture.

Meanwhile, Tenten was busy rummaging through her closet looking for clothes to wear. Since she had never associated with many of her female counterparts at the Academy, instead choosing to focus on her kunoichi training, she had never put much thought or effort into her looks. She wore clothing that fit nicely and didn't interfere with her mobility, and she supposed that her training regimen kept her fit and trim. That's why she was in a mild state of panic when she realized that she had no clue as to what she should wear.

With a sigh, she swallowed her pride and headed out of her apartment and in the direction of the Yamanaka flower shop.

When she got there, she found Ino casually seated at the counter with both legs propped up, skimming through the pages of the most recent issue of the _Kunoichi Monthly_. As soon as Tenten entered the shop, Ino looked up expectantly.

"Welcome to the Yama- Hey there, Tenten! What brings you here? You buying flowers for Neji again?"

Tenten balled her fists, but maintained her composure outwardly. She probably wouldn't be able to get Ino's help by throwing kunai at her face.

'_When the hell will she ever let that go? That was ages ago, when I found out that Neji and I were going to be on the same team. I haven't ever thought about that asexual sponge that way ever since.'_

"Actually Ino, I was hoping that you could help me out a bit. You see, I'm going to be going out later today, and I have no clue what to wear or what to do."

Ino smiled deviously.

"Ahh, so the icy cold weapons mistress is finally going out on a date? Who's the lucky guy? It can't be Neji… oh god, it's Lee isn't it? Actually, I've heard that you've been spending lots of time with Naruto recently. It's him, isn't it?"

Tenten hoped that Ino didn't pick up the slight flush that lit up her cheeks.

"You know what, maybe I'll go ask Sakura instead."

Tenten's words worked like a charm. Almost instantly, Ino was out of the flower shop, dragging Tenten behind.

"Alright Tenten, we're going on a beauty run right now. Just leave it to me!"

Tenten watched in amazement as Ino stormed throughout Konoha, shopping for clothes and accessories, getting her hair and nails fixed up—all things that she had never dreamed of doing as a kunoichi. Part of her was wondering exactly why she was going through all this, all for the sake of a simple date with Naruto. She held up a bra that Ino had thrust into her arms and glared at the lace. Did she really need to purchase new lingerie for this date? It's not as if Naruto would be seeing any of that stuff. She blushed as she imagined exactly how Naruto would be seeing her in her underwear.

"NOT FUCKING LIKELY!"

Ino looked over in concern. Maybe her shopping companion was starting to lose her mind. Tenten just didn't seem the type to understand the wonderful subtleties of searching for the right top, or finding a pair of cute shoes on sale.

She quickly steered Tenten to the next store. It wasn't every day that Ino got to oversee a complete makeover of a fellow kunoichi, so she was going to make the most of the moment. Hopefully she would be able to worm a few details of Tenten's mystery date along the way.

In another shopping district, Naruto stumbled out of the department store clutching an armful of bags. After Tsunade and a blushing Shizune finished explaining sexual intercourse to Naruto, they had asked him what had brought up the conversation in the first place. When Tsunade found out about Naruto's date with Tenten, she had grabbed Naruto and Shizune and literally carried them out of the office.

While they were picking out clothes for Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune peppered the bewildered blond with random tidbits of dating advice. Naruto didn't quite understand much of what they were saying, so he just nodded and feigned comprehension. In actuality, Naruto was still trying to digest the earlier sex education he had received from Tsunade.

He supposed that the worst part was when Tsunade had tried to coerce Shizune into disrobing and serving as a nude model for Tsunade's lesson on the female anatomy. In the end, Tsunade had called in Mitarashi Anko, who had jumped out of her fishnet before Tsunade got halfway through her request.

He'd never see Tenten the same way again.

The glare of the sun overhead jerked Naruto out of his thoughts, informing him that they had left the shop. He looked down at the large bundle of bags in shock. He didn't realize that Tsunade had gotten so much clothing.

"What the hell is up with this, Baachan! You said you were getting me clothing for my date, not for the rest of my life!"

Tsunade whacked Naruto upside the head twice.

"The first one was for calling me old. The second hit was for being an idiot. Naruto, I'll be honest, your sense of clothing has always been hideous. When you get home, before you head out on your date, I want you to replace your old clothing with these new ones. You can send your old clothing to me."

With a sigh, Naruto nodded and headed back towards his home. Tsunade watched the blond walk off with dollar signs shining in her eyes.

'_I wonder how much Naruto's boxers will sell for at the Naruto Superstore…'_

Back at Tenten's apartment, it was five minutes 'til four and Tenten was pacing the floor. Ino had assured her that her date would be floored by her transformation, but Tenten still had her reservations. She anxiously pulled at her hair. The hairdresser had pulled her hair out of her buns and had arranged her hair in a way that Tenten thought was impossible. Still, she had to admit that it looked really hot. Each curl and lock of hair was delicately put in place, accentuating her brown eyes nicely.

The clothing that Ino had picked out for her fit nicely as well. It was similar to her regular outfit, but after Ino's modifications, she could only describe her new outfit as downright sexy. Ino had purposely picked a smaller size, so both the top and her pants hugged tightly to her figure, accentuating all of her curves. There was a slit cut in the back, exposing some of her creamy white skin for all to see. She twirled around in front of a mirror, giggling slightly before flushing red.

'_What the hell is wrong with me?'_

She glanced over at her clock, almost willing the minute hand to move faster.

Four minutes…

'_I wonder what Naruto-kun will think of how I look.'_

Three minutes…

'_Naruto-kun? What the hell am I, an Academy fan girl?"_

Two minutes…

KNOCK

KNOCK

Naruto's early arrival caught Tenten off guard. She stumbled over to the door and wrenched it open.

'_Smooth.'_

Her breath hitched in her throat as she stared at the blond Adonis standing across from her. Likewise, Naruto was openly gaping at the goddess in front of him.

"Wow…"

Tenten raised an eyebrow and Naruto hastily tried to correct himself.

"I-I-I-I mean, you look really nice today. Not that you don't usually look nice. It's just that today you look even better than normal…"

Naruto's voice trailed off awkwardly.

"Err… well… you look good too, Naruto."

At this small compliment, Naruto seemed to regain some of his famous swagger. Holding his arm out for Tenten, he led her out into the streets.

As they walked through Konoha, Tenten noticed the jealous looks that many of the other girls were throwing her way. She pressed herself tighter to Naruto's arm and smirked slightly.

'_That's right, girls, and he's all mine.'_

Naruto seemed to sense the killing intent radiating from Tenten because he turned to her with look of concerned confusion. Tenten simply smiled and waved it off. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

How incorrect she was. It wasn't that Naruto was a bad date. Indeed, Naruto had been a gentleman throughout the entire ordeal, maintaining a respectable mannerism, albeit a bit roughly. It seemed as if Kami was humoring herself by messing with the date.

When they arrived at the movie theater, they were dismayed to find the building burned down to ashes. Naruto chalked it up to pure coincidence that the Uchiha compound was just across the street. Next, they decided to go to the Konoha Park to walk around, but the Inuzaka dogs were all in heat and rutting all over the place. After aimlessly wandering around and making some small chat, they arrived at a popular sushi restaurant, where Naruto had surprisingly managed to work out a reservation. Before they could step inside, the building exploded in chaos, and after a minute, the entire restaurant was left in shambles. Tenten could have sworn she spotted her youthful teammate stumbling away, cradling a bottle of sake. By then, Naruto seemed visibly disappointed in the lack of success, so Tenten decided to take pity on the blond.

"Why don't we go over to Ichiraku's then?"

In a flash, Tenten found herself seated on the barstool, happily slurping the warm noodles. Her hair had fallen out of its styling on the way to Ichiraku's, and her clothes were somewhat ruffled, but Tenten didn't care.

'_That's right, we don't need to have the perfect princess date. Being with Naruto like this, acting normal, is so much better than trying too hard to make things just right.'_

She continued to listen to Naruto describe his fight with Orochimaru, occasionally throwing in a jab at some of the more obviously exaggerated points in the story when she felt two chakra signatures coming up behind them. She whirled around and saw Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura walking towards them.

Naruto's mind was a mess during the entire date. When he first showed up at Tenten's door, he was shocked at how beautiful she looked, standing there in her form-fitting pink top and dark pants. It wasn't until she turned her back to him to lock the door that he noticed the slit cut in the back, exposing a healthy portion of her backside to his view. His lessons with Tsunade and Shizune rushed back into his mind, and he had to try his hardest not to give into his newfound perversion.

Then, as the date progressed and the situation became worse and worse, Naruto couldn't help but cast nervous glances in Tenten's directions. Surely she was upset, which would mean that Naruto would be in for a world of pain shortly. When she instead offered to eat at Ichiraku's, Naruto was so relieved that he practically flew over to the ramen stand, eager for some touch of familiarity. Indeed, the warm atmosphere of Ichiraku's seemed to defuse the tension between the two, and soon they were laughing and trading stories like usual. When Tenten suddenly turned around, Naruto followed her gaze and soon made eye-contact with Sasuke and Sakura.

"Fight me."

Naruto put a palm to his forehead.

"I'm eating with my friend here; I'd appreciate it if you'd leave us in peace."

"Damn it, dobe, you tricked me with that cheap jutsu of yours. I can't accept that. Fight me NOW."

Naruto ignored his former teammate and called for a fourth bowl of ramen. Sasuke's irritation seemed to grow with each passing second. Finally, Teuchi slammed down a new bowl of ramen, but before Naruto could dig in once more, Sasuke darted forth and snatched the bowl away.

"I SAID, FIGHT ME… NOW!"

He punctuated the statement by flinging the bowl on the ground, where it shattered, spilling its contents on the ground. Naruto didn't even flinch, but his voice came out as a low growl.

"Teme, I'll see you at the training grounds in ten minutes."

Sasuke smirked and stalked away while Sakura followed meekly behind, casting furtive glances back at Naruto.

"Pft dobe."

Naruto turned back to Tenten, who seemed to be trembling slightly.

"Uhh… Tenten? You alright?"

"Naruto?"

"Yea?"

"Kick his ass, alright?"

Naruto grinned and walked off with Tenten over to the training grounds. Nearby, a lone blonde kunoichi stepped out of the shadows with her eyes glinting dangerously.

'_Now this is some juicy gossip. I bet everyone will come running if they find out that Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are about to have a fight. Now, to spread the rumors to the rest of the shinobi…'_**  
**


	8. Reunion

Chapter 8: Reunion

After running back home to change clothes, Naruto walked with Tenten to go face Sasuke. When Naruto and Tenten arrived at the training ground, they were surprised to see that the field was buzzing with excitement and packed with shinobi. Ino ran up to the pair, rubbing the back of her head in slight embarrassment.

"Yo, you two!"

Tenten narrowed her eyes at the bubbly blonde.

"What did you do this time? Are you responsible for this crowd?"

Ino pouted.

"Geez Tenten, how can you accuse me of such a thing? I might have told a couple of my friends, who might have told a few of their friends. I didn't expect that the news would spread so quickly."

"Hmph… well I guess this means that there will more people around to watch Naruto beat the shit out of Sasuke."

As Naruto walked towards the waiting Sasuke, Ino pulled Tenten to the side.

"Hey Tenten, what do you mean by that? Sasuke's really strong. I know what he did to Naruto and Konoha was wrong, but that doesn't mean that he's weak. Sakura says that all Sasuke does is train all day. I know Naruto managed to beat Hinata's dad, but Sasuke isn't going to go down without a fight."

Tenten smirked, causing Ino to stop her rambling and look at Tenten quizzically.

"Tell you what, Ino. If Sasuke is able to knock Naruto on his back once, I will go shopping with you for a whole day and pay for everything."

Ino's eyes widened at this: she could finally get her hands on that new skirt that she had been eyeing for the past few days. She was about to accept Tenten's deal when the weapons mistress cut her off.

"But, if Sasuke can't do it, then you will become my practice partner for a month."

Ino paled at this statement. It was a widespread rumor that Tenten's teammates, Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji, were found hugging each other and crying about their teammate's cruel training session. If the little Green Beast of Konoha and the strongest inheritor of the Byakugan were scared shitless by Tenten's training regimen, what chance did she have of surviving? Her mind wandered back to the really cute skirt. Surely Sasuke-kun should be able to knock Naruto back once…

"Deal."

The two kunoichi shook hands to solidify the deal and moved to join the other shinobi gathered to watch the battle.

'_Naruto, you better not mess around. If you go easy on him and let him land a hit, I'll make you suffer.'_

Naruto was facing Sasuke, staring his former teammate in the eye.

'_Maybe I should go easy on him for a while to get a feel for his strength. Maybe let him land a few blows.'_

He felt a sudden chill run up his spine, as if something bad was going to happen to him if he didn't take the fight seriously from the beginning. He looked over and saw Tenten giving him a fierce glare and gulped. Maybe he should take this fight seriously from the beginning.

"Dobe, you managed to catch me off guard last time with your strange jutsu, but I'm prepared for it this time."

"…"

"Hn? Not going to say anything to your old teammate? What happened to the hyperactive loudmouth blond?"

Naruto blinked.

"You say something, Uchiha?"

Sasuke balled his fists in anger. This was an opportunity for the two of them to test their strengths, and the dobe was ignoring him, treating him like trash.

"Nothing. Let's fight."

Sasuke drew out a kunai, an action that Naruto reciprocated. There was a silence as the two shinobi faced each other, gauging each other's defenses.

A hidden signal passed between the two combatants, and they leapt towards each other simultaneously. Their kunai met with a metallic clang in the middle of the clearing. Sasuke used his free hand to throw a punch at Naruto, who easily ducked the underneath the blow. Twisting around at the waist, Sasuke followed up his punch with a swift leg sweep.

Naruto kicked Sasuke's leg away and slipped underneath Sasuke's guard and landed a shallow slice across the cheek with his kunai. Sasuke took a step backwards and wiped off the blood from his cheek, wearing a slightly feral grin.

"It's about time we up the stakes, huh dobe?"

Sasuke flashed through a series of very familiar hand seals that ended in the Tiger seal, finally bringing his right hand up to his mouth.

**Katon: Goukayuu no Jutsu**

A large fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth and rushed towards Naruto, burning everything in its path.

'_God damn it. I hate that stupid jutsu.'_

Naruto leapt into the nearby river to take shelter while the inferno passed overhead. As Naruto waited at the bottom of the river, he felt the water start to lift him towards the surface and solidify.

'_Huh? When did he learn this jutsu?'_

Naruto quickly jumped out of the water before the suiro no jutsu (water prison technique) could take hold. Using a kunai to deflect the brace of shuriken headed his way, Naruto landed back on the ground and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke.

"You learned some new tricks while I was gone, haven't you, Uchiha?"

"Well, the Sharingan is the cherished bloodline of Konoha, so I've been growing stronger every day through the power of the Sharingan. Soon I'll be strong enough to avenge my family and protect Konoha from future disasters."

Naruto jumped over a fuma shuriken and twisted in the air to avoid a kunai, which stuck into the tree behind him. The acrid smell of burning sulfur wafted through the air, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow.

'_Exploding tag, huh? That's too simple for someone like Sasuke. What's his real plan?'_

Naruto braced himself for the explosion, but the tag simply fizzled out. He sensed wires snaking in his direction and quickly leapt to the side, avoiding the danger.

Meanwhile, the spectators were watching the two shinobi battle. Inoichi turned to Shikaku.

"Say, what do you think of this fight so far? They're pretty evenly matched so far. Sasuke hasn't been able to land a blow, but Naruto hasn't been doing anything so far…"

"Hmm? I'd say it's too early to say for sure, did you see Naruto's fight with Hiashi?"

Inoichi shook his head.

"I was busy doing work for the wife, but Ino told me how Naruto used some strange technique to catch Hiashi off guard."

"That's what I heard too. I wonder if he can hold up against the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"You two are making the same mistake that I made."

Inoichi and Shikaku turned to see the normally stoic Hiashi grinning ever so slightly.

"What do you mean by that, Hiashi-san?"

"It is not something that can be simply described in words. Let me ask you this- have you ever faced Namikaze Minato in a serious fight?"

The two shinobi nodded.

"Do you remember feeling a sense of dread when he looked you in the eyes?"

Hiashi watched Naruto land a kick to Sasuke's stomach as Shikaku and Inoichi nodded in affirmation once more.

"When I faced Naruto-san, I had a similar feeling. However, when I looked into his eyes, I knew there was something different, something deeper. It was as if his eyes were penetrating the depths of my soul."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Hyuuga clan is well known for possessing the Byakugan, which has been called the all-seeing eye. One minor ability of the Byakugan is to be able to read the emotions of one's opponent. My nephew, Hyuuga Neji has a natural talent for this. What Naruto-san does, however, is on a whole different level."

Hiashi watched as the two combatants paused for a moment. Sasuke's face contorted in pain momentarily before he looked up at Naruto, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan. Hiashi grinned.

"I believe Uchiha-san will start to understand what it's like now."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the Uchiha survivor, who had just activated his completed Sharingan.

"Finally going all out, teme?"

Instead of responding, Sasuke ran towards Naruto, wielding a short katana. Naruto sighed, pulling out a kunai to knock aside the sweeping blade. As Naruto and Sasuke continued to fight, Sasuke's irritation continued to rise.

'_Tch, why can't I hit Naruto? No matter how much faster I move, he always seems to be one step faster. It's as if my Sharingan can't pick him up at all.'_

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization.

'_No way, my Sharingan isn't working against him at all! It looks like I'll have to use __**it.**__'_

Sasuke parried a kunai thrown by Naruto and looked his former teammate in the eye with his Sharingan wheels spinning.

**Tsukuyomi**

Gasps went through the crowd as Uchiha Sasuke captured Naruto in the almighty genjutsu. Tenten clasped her hands in worry.

'_Shit, I didn't think that the bastard would go so far as to use a deadly jutsu in this spar. Naruto-kun… please be alright.'_

To the surprise of the audience, Naruto seemed unaffected by Sasuke's jutsu. Instead, Sasuke was the one who dropped to one knee, clutching his eye and panting heavily. After recovering his composure, Sasuke rose up once more and glared at Naruto.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to defeat the Tsukuyomi?"

Naruto answered by sending a flying kick at Sasuke, who barely dodged the attack. The two continued to fight, although Naruto was seen as having the clear advantage.

Meanwhile Ino was, for once, not thinking about shopping and fashion. When the fight started, she prayed with all of her heart for Sasuke to knock Naruto to the ground at least once. She really wanted that skirt, damn it! At first, she thought that it would be an easy bet to win. Even though Sasuke hadn't managed to land a solid hit, the two combatants seemed to be evenly matched in her eyes.

As the fight dragged on, Ino started to pay closer attention to the fight itself. Once Naruto managed to throw off the legendary Tsukuyomi without any adverse side effects, Ino totally forgot about her bet with Tenten and was instead focused entirely on the fight.

She saw how Naruto always seemed to stay ahead of Sasuke, no matter what traps or jutsu Sasuke seemed to throw his way. Slowly, she started to realize that Naruto was on a totally different level than Sasuke. It wasn't due to a difference in ability, strength, or speed that set the two apart, but Naruto exuded an overwhelming pressure that seemed to make his movements crisper, stronger. Even at a distance, Ino knew that she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against Naruto. A shrill cry of pain brought Ino back to her senses.

'_Huh? What just happened? Did I lose track of the match?'_

Moments before, Naruto and Sasuke had come to a standstill once more.

"Naruto… you aren't taking me seriously, are you?"

"Of course I am. Now, do you want to continue to chat, or do you want to finish this fight?"

Sasuke smirked at Naruto, and for the first time during the fight, there was a bit of doubt in Naruto's mind. Sasuke held out his right arm, palm-face up, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes.

'_That doesn't look like the Chidori… no way… it can't be…'_

Naruto froze stiff as a ball of swirling chakra appeared over Sasuke's hand.

'_Rasengan?'_

"That's right, it's the technique of the Yondaime Hokage. It wasn't that hard to learn, thanks to the Sharingan. Prepare yourself, Naruto."

Naruto stood there, shell-shocked, as Sasuke drew closer with the completed Rasengan. He showed no sign of making any movement to dodge the jutsu. Finally, Tenten's shrill voice cut through Naruto's thoughts.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU FUCKING MORON? IF YOU DON'T MOVE, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD, NOT EVEN KAMI WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU!"

"TOO LATE! TAKE THIS, DOBE! **RASEN-AAAAARGH!"**

Sasuke clutched his right arm, reduced to a bloody stump, and let out a scream of pain. Naruto flicked his wakizashi, effectively cleaning the blade of blood. The crowd watched in shock as Naruto turned and started to walk away.

Tenten noticed Naruto's slightly stiff motions, and the small trembling of his hands.

'_Naruto-kun…'_

She watched fearfully as Kakashi shushined in front of Naruto, in an attempt to block his former student's path.

"Naruto, I understand that you may not trust us, and you might even hate us, but should you really have done that to Sasuke-kun? You need to learn to control your emotions better."

"…"

"Are you just going to ignore me like that, Naruto? Even if you don't want to, as your superior, I am permitted to use necessary force if you are being insubordinate."

"…"

"Just because your father was Minato-sensei, it doesn't mean that-"

Kakashi's statement was cut short when Naruto stared him in the eye.

"Hatake… you have no right to call my father your sensei."

Kakashi took an involuntary step backwards when he saw the fierce look in Naruto's eyes, allowing Naruto to walk away unimpeded.

The crowd was silent as Naruto walked off into the distance, but once Naruto left the training grounds, the gathered shinobi erupted in conversation. It was during the commotion that Tenten silently slipped away from the rest of the group.

'_Naruto-kun… Wait for me…'_

Tenten slowly made her way up the path to the top of the Hokage Monument, where she was sure that she could find Naruto, as it was no secret among the Konoha 12 and their jounin sensei that Naruto could often be found at the Hokage Monument when he was younger. Through her concern, the irritated part of Tenten's mind decided to make herself be heard.

'_My God, why the hell does Naruto have to pick such a high place to brood? Not everyone has that freakish stamina of his. I mean seriously, here I am looking for him and he's run off to the hardest place to reach in Konoha.'_

She reached the top of the Hokage monument, fully intent on giving Naruto an earful. A fearful wave of tension forced her words back down her throat. She looked towards the source and wasn't surprised to see that Naruto was standing on the Yondaime's head with his head bowed and his hands clenched in fists at his sides.

Thinking that Naruto wanted to be left alone, Tenten turned around to head back, but stopped when she heard Naruto call out.

"Tenten, could you stay here with me for a while?"

Tenten walked to Naruto's side and stood still. When it appeared as if Naruto wasn't going to say anything, Tenten stretched a hesitant hand towards his arm. Naruto's soft voice broke through the air stopped Tenten.

"Hey Tenten, what does Lee say about hard workers and geniuses?"

"Huh? He's always saying that hard work will always defeat natural genius."

"What do you think of that mindset?"

"Huh?"

"Tenten, the Rasengan was a jutsu that my father created. It didn't require any special bloodline to learn- only the willpower and the strength of hard work. It took me over a month of constantly practicing that one jutsu before I could even form a passable Rasengan. Ero-sennin might not have been the best teacher, but he was the first person who actually took any interest in my training."

"But what about Iruka-sensei? I know that you two are pretty close friends. Didn't he teach you during your years at the Ninja Academy?"

Naruto dropped his head a bit and spoke in a low voice.

"Iruka-sensei and I never saw eye to eye while I was at the academy. To me, he was the same as everyone else in Konoha, and I was a reminder of Konoha's tragedy. It wasn't until the day I graduated that we accepted each other as friends and brothers."

"The day of your graduation? What happened then?"

Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head at Tenten.

"I'm sorry, Tenten, but that's a story that I treasure. Maybe one day when I am ready, I will tell you this story. For now, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until then."

Tenten blushed in embarrassment.

'_Why did I have to ask such a personal question? He's probably really upset now. '_

"Naruto… I'm sorry if that offended you…"

Naruto managed a slight grin and waved her off.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, where was I again? Ah right, learning the Rasengan. In a way, the Rasengan can be seen as the pinnacle of hard work, attainable through training and dedication. It makes me so angry that Sasuke used his precious eye to copy the pain and sweat that everybody else must endure. "

"I don't get it. The rasengan doesn't require any hand seals. How was he able to use the Sharingan to copy it?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess that the Sharingan allows the user to watch their opponent's chakra flow and then induce an identical flow through the user's own body. All he needed was for someone to show him a proper Rasengan, and then he'd be able to copy it easily. He couldn't copy mine because I use the Kage Bunshin to stabilize my Rasengan. If I were to bet, I'd place my money on Kakashi showing Sasuke the Rasengan. The lazy bastard would probably think it'd be a way to remember me as a teammate."

"Do you… hate them?"

Naruto chuckled, causing Tenten to look over at him.

"What's so funny?"

"I want to hate them. I want to spit in their face and swear at them. I want to hate them so much, but I just can't do it."

"But they had you executed! You have every right to hate them!"

"Tenten… I've been hanged, burned, stabbed and poisoned many times before. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was thanks to the stupid fox that I'm still alive today."

Tenten looked over and saw tears starting to form in Naruto's eyes. She slowly wrapped her arms around the blond.

"Naruto, it's okay to be upset. Just let it out…"

The two slowly sank to the ground as Naruto relaxed into Tenten's embrace.

"It hurts so much, Tenten. To see something that you worked so hard for thrown right back in your face so easily cuts deeply. At that moment, I wanted to kill him, the person that I had once considered a good friend."

"Naruto, it's alright. It's perfectly normal for you to feel this way. You didn't deserve to be treated the way you did, but you still stayed strong. You really are an incredible person, Naruto. I'm glad I've gotten to know you…"

The two sat there in silence for a while, with Tenten's arms still around Naruto. After a moment, Tenten peeked around to take a look at Naruto.

'_He's fallen asleep, huh? Can't help it, I guess…'_

Tenten closed her eyes herself, allowing Naruto's warmth to permeate through her body. She barely noticed as she slowly fell asleep herself.

Moments later, Tsunade was walking back to her office, giggling and cradling a camera.

'_I've finally got some good blackmail on the brat. He's never going to live this one down.'_

Meanwhile in Otogakure, Orochimaru was curled on a bed, screaming in pain. The wound caused by Naruto's strange jutsu wasn't healing, in spite of all of Kabuto's efforts. Out of nowhere, he heard a deep voice speak.

"**Having trouble with that wound of yours?"**

"W-w-w-who's there?"

"**A friend. I can grant you the power to get rid of the brat, all you have to do is ask."**

"Very well…"

In Tenten's mind, a different situation was taking place. She looked around the pure-white surroundings, but failed to see anything that would tell her where she was. A voice broke through the void, causing Tenten to turn towards the source.

"Tenten-chan… it's nice to finally meet you."

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, I failed to properly introduce myself. I am…"


End file.
